THE  OUTCASTS 


SHAG  CARRIED  THE  DOG-WOLF  ON   HIS   BACK. 


THE 

OUTCASTS 

BY   W.   A.    F  R  ASER 

ILLUSTRATED  BY  ARTHUR  HEiMING 


CHARLES   SCRIBNER'S   SONS 

NEW    YORK       -----       MDCCCCI 


Copyright,  1901,  by 
CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS 

ALL      RIGHTS      RESERVED 


PS 

F?7 


Illustrations 

The  full-page    subjects  from    drawings    by    Arthur 

Heming.      The  bead-  and  tail-pieces  from 

drawings  by  J.  S.  Gordon 

FACING 

Shag  carried  the  Dog-wolf  on  his  back     .          Title 

"  Lying  on  my  back  as  though  I  were  dead,  I 

held  my  tail  straight  up  "  .          .6 

"I  am  no  Wolf,  Shag;  I  am  A'tim,  which 

meaneth  a  Dog  in  the  talk  of  the  Crees  '"      10 

One    after    another    they    hurtled     into    the 

slaughter-pen  of  the  Blood  Indians'  corral     36 

Muskwa  had  A'tim  in  his  long-clawed  grasp     66 

"  Steady,    Dog-  Wolf,     steady,"     admonished 

Shag,  "  this  is  a  friend  of  mine  "      .          .78 


M668771 


Illustrations 

FACING 

"Oh,  don't  mention  it!"  exclaimed  the  Wolf; 
"no  doubt  we  shall  find  something  for 
dinner,  presently"  .  .  .114 

"Thou  art   a  traitor,  and  a  great  liar,"  said 

the  Bull 136 


THE  OUTCASTS 


f 

PtER  ONE 


ATIM  the  Outcast  was  half  Wolf, 
half  Huskie  Dog.      That  meant 
ferocity  and  bloodthirst  on  the 
one  side,  and  knowledge  of  Man's  ways 
on   the    other.      Also,   that   he   was   an 
Outcast ;  for  neither  side  of  the  house  of 
his  ancestry  would  have  aught  of  him. 

A'tim  was  bred  in  the  far  Northland, 
where  the  Cree  Indians  trail  the  white 
snow-waste  with  Train  Dogs  ;  and  one 
time  A'tim  had  pressed  an  unwilling 
shoulder  to  a  dog-collar.  Now  he  was 
an  outcast  vagabond  on  the  southern 
prairie,  close  to  the  Montana  border 
land. 


The  Outcasts 


It  was  September;  and  all  day  A'tim 
had  skulked  in  the  willow  cover  of  Belly 
River  flat-lands,  close  to  the  lodges  of 
the  Blood  Indians. 

Nothing  to  eat  had  come  the  way  of 
the  Dog- Wolf ;  only  a  little  knowledge 
of  something  that  was  to  happen,  for  he 
had  heard  things, —  the  voices  of  the 
Indians  sitting  in  council  had  slipped 
gently  down  the  wind  to  his  sharp  Wolf 
ears. 

As  he  crawled  up  the  river  bank  close 
to  Belly  Buttes  and  looked  across  the 
plain,  he  could  see  the  pink  flush  of 
eventide,  like  a  fairy  veil,  draping  the 
cold  blue  mountains — the  Rockies. 

"  Good-night,  warm  Brother/'  he 
said,  blinking  at  the  setting  sun ;  "  I 
wonder  if  you  are  going  to  sleep  with 
an  empty  stomach,  as  must  A'tim. " 

The  soft-edged  shafts  of  gold-yellow 


The  Outcasts 


quivered  tremblingly  behind  the  blue- 
gray  mountains,  as  though  Sol  were 
laughing  at  the  address  of  the  Outcast. 
The  Dog- Wolf  looked  furtively  over 
his  shoulder  at  the  smoke-wreathed 
cones  of  the  Blood  tepees.  The  odor 
of  many  flesh-pots  tickled  his  nostrils 
until  they  quivered  in  longing  desire. 
Buh-h-h  !  but  he  was  hungry !  All  his 
life  he  had  been  hungry  ;  only  at  long 
intervals  had  a  gorge  of  much  eating 
fallen  to  his  lot. 

"  Good-night,  warm  Brother/*  he 
said  again,  turning  stubbornly  from  the 
scent  of  flesh,  and  eying  the  crimson 
flush  where  the  sun  had  set ;  "one  more 
round  of  your  trail  and  I  shall  sleep  with 
a  full  stomach,  for  to-morrow  the  Bloods 
make  a  big  Kill — the  Run  of  many 
Buffalo." 

A'tim,  sitting  on  his  haunches,  and 

3 


The  Outcasts 


holding  his  nose  high  in  air  until  his 
throat  pipe  drew  straight  and  taut,  sang  : 
"  O-o-o-o-o-h  !  for  the  blood  drinking ! 
W-a-u-g-ha  !  the  sweet  new  meat  — 
hot  to  the  mouth  ! " 

The  Indian  Dogs  caught  up  the  cry 
of  A'tim  as  it  floated  over  the  Belly 
River  and  voiced  it  from  a  thousand 
throats. 

"The  Blackfeet!"  screamed  Eagle 
Shoe,  rushing  from  his  tepee.  "  It  's 
only  a  hungry  Wolf/'  he  grunted,  as  he 
sat  in  the  council  again ;  "  let  us  talk  of 
the  Buffalo  Run." 

That  was  what  the  Dog- Wolf  had 
heard  lying  in  the  tangle  of  gray  willow, 
close  to  the  tepee  of  Eagle  Shoe,  the 
Blood  Indian ;  and  he  would  sleep 
peacefully,  his  hunger  stayed  by  the 
morrow's  prospect.  As  he  sat  yawning 
toward  the  rose  sky  in  the  West,  a 
4 


The   Outcasts 


huge,  dark  form  came  majestically  from 
a  cleft  in  the  buttes,  and  stood  out 
lined,  a  towering  black  mass.  A'tim 
flattened  to  earth  as  though  he  had  been 
shot,  looking  not  more  than  a  tuft  of 
withered  bunch-grass*  Then  he  arose 
as  suddenly,  chuckled  to  himself,  and 
growled  nervously  :  "  Oh !  but  I  got  a 
start  —  it  's  only  old  Shag,  the  Outcast 
Bull.  Ha,  ha !  A'tim  to  fear  a  Buffalo ! 
Good-evening,  Brother,"  he  exclaimed  ; 
"you  quite  frightened  me  —  I  thought  it 
was  that  debased  Long  Knife,  Camous." 
"  Thought  me  Camous  !  "  bellowed 
the  Bull,  snorting  indignantly;  "he  's 
but  a  slayer  and  a  thief.  All  the  Pale 
face  Long  Knives  are  that ;  killing,  kill 
ing —  stealing,  stealing.  Why,  even 
among  his  own  kind  he  is  called  *  Cam 
ous  ' ;  and  you,  who  were  bred  in  the 
Man  camps,  know  what  that  means." 
5 


The   Outcasts 


"Of  course,  of  course  —  ha!  most 
surely  it  means  'a  stealer  of  things/ 
But  I  meant  not  to  liken  you  to  him, 
Brother  Shag  —  it  was  only  my  fright; 
for  even  in  my  dreams  I  am  always  see 
ing  the  terrible  Camous.  I  have  cause 
to  remember  him,  Shag  —  it  was  this 
way.  Did  I  ever  tell  you?" 

"Never,"  answered  Shag,  heavily. 

"  Well,  it  was  this  way  :  Once  upon 
a  time,  in  the  low  hills  they  call  Cypress, 
I  was  stalking  a  herd  of  antelope.  To 
tell  you  the  truth,  I  had  been  at  it  for 
two  days.  Waugh  !  but  they  were  wary. 
At  last  I  worked  within  fair  eyesight  of 
them,  and  knowing  the  stupid  desire 
they  have  to  look  close  at  anything  that 
may  be  strange  to  them,  I  took  to  my 
self  a  clever  plan.  Lying  on  my  back 
as  though  I  were  dead,  I  held  my  tail 
straight  up,  and  let  the  wind  blow  it 
6 


"LYING  ON  MY   BACK  AS  THOUGH   I  WERE   DEAD,  I  HELD  MY  TAIL 
STRAIGHT  UP." 


The   Outcasts 


back  and  forth.  The  big-eyed  Eaters- 
of-Grass  asked  one  another :  *  What  is 
this  new  thing  ?  Is  it  a  plant  or  an  ani 
mal  ? '  That  is  the  way  they  talked,  I 
am  sure,  for  they  are  like  wolf-pups, 
quite  silly.  Well,  they  came  closer  and 
closer  and  closer.  E-u-h-h,  e-u-h-h  ! 
but  my  mouth  watered  with  the  thought 
of  their  sweet  meat  as  I  lay  as  one  dead. 
Now,  they  had  n't  the  knowledge  to 
work  up  wind  to  me,  but  came  straight 
for  the  thing  they  saw  that  moved. 
Would  you  believe  it,  just  as  I  was 
measuring  from  the  corner  of  my  eye 
the  time  for  a  strong  rush,  who  should 
creep  over  a  hill  but  Camous!  In  fright 
I  sprang  to  my  feet,  and  away  went  the 
Goat-faced  small-prongs.  Then  the 
deviltry  of  the  many-breathed  Fire-stick 
this  Camous  carries  came  down  upon 
me  as  I  ran  faster  than  I  'd  ever  gone 

7 


The   Outcasts 


before.  '  Click,  snap  !  click,  snap !  ' 
the  quick-breathing  Fire-stick  coughed ; 
and  though  I  rocked,  and  jumped  side 
ways  and  twisted,  before  I  could  get 
away  I  had  one  of  the  breath-stings  in 
my  shoulder.  E-u-h-h  !  but  I  go  lame 
from  it  still." 

Shag  slipped  a  cud  of  sweet  grass  up 
his  throat  with  a  gurgling  cough  and 
chewed  it  reflectively,  for  he  was  of  a 
slow  turn  of  thought,  not  at  all  like  the 
nimble-brained  Dog- Wolf.  Then  he 
swallowed  the  cud,  blew  from  his  nos 
trils  the  sand  that  had  come  into  them 
crossing  the  scant-garbed  hills  of  Belly 
Buttes,  and  said  ponderously:  "Yes,  I 
know  the  many-breathed  Fire-stick ; 
that  's  what  makes  the  Palefaces  so  ter 
rible.  The  plain  simply  reeks  with  the 
dead  bodies  of  my  people  whom  they 
have  slain. " 

8 


The   Outcasts 


"And  the  bodies  all  poisoned,  too; 
whur-r,  whur-r !  All  turned  into  death 
meat  for  the  Flesh-feeders,  Dog  or 
Wolf,"  snarled  A'tim.  "  Killed  for  the 
hide  —  think  of  that,  Shag!  —  or  just  the 
tongue  taken.  If  we  make  a  kill  it  is 
for  the  eating  —  to  still  the  gnawing 
pain  that  comes  to  us,  and  we  waste 
nothing,  leave  nothing." 

"  Most  assuredly,"  replied  the  Bull, 
"thou  leavest  nothing  but  the  bones." 

"Nothing  but  the  bones,"  concurred 
A'tim.  "  And  as  I  was  saying,  these 
Long  Knives  put  the  Flour  of  Death  in 
the  dead  Buffalo,  and  my  Wolf  Breth 
ren,  when  they  eat,  being  forced  to  of 
their  hunger,  die  like  flies  at  Cold 
Time." 

"And  a  good  thing,  too  —  I  mean 
— "  and  Shag  coughed  apologetically; 
"  I  mean,  as  a  Calf  I  received  cause  to 
9 


The   Outcasts 


remember  your  Wolf  Brothers,  A'tim ; 
there  's  a  hollow  in  my  thigh  you  could 
bury  your  paw  in,  where  one  of  your 
long-fanged  Pack  sought  to  hamstring 
me.  You,  A'tim,  who  are  half  Wolf, 
know  how  it  comes  that  where  one  of 
your  kind  puts  his  teeth,  the  flesh, 
sooner  or  later,  melts  away,  and  leaves 
but  a  hole  —  how  is  it,  A'tim  ?" 

"  Foul  teeth,"  growled  the  Dog- 
Wolf.  "They  're  a  mean  lot,  are  the 
Gray  Runners  ;  even  I,  who  am  half  of 
their  kind,  bear  them  no  love  —  have 
they  not  outcasted  me  because  of  my 
Dog  blood  ?  I  am  no  Wolf,  Shag ;  I 
am  A'tim,  which  meaneth  'a  Dog,'  in 
the  talk  of  the  Crees." 

"Even  so,  Brother,"  said  Shag,  "how 
comes  it  that  thou  art  a  half-breed  Wolf 
at  all?" 

"That  is  also  of  Man's  evil  ways, 
10 


"I  AM   NO  WOLF,  SHAG;   I  AM  A'TIM,  WHICH    MEANETH   A  DOG  IN 
THE  TALK  OF  THE  CREES." 


The  Outcasts 


Brother  Bull — thinking  to  change  every 
thing  that  was  as  it  should  be  before 
he  came.  This  false  mating  is  of  his 
thought;  to  get  the  strength  of  the 
Wolf,  and  the  long-fasting  of  the  Wolf, 
and  the  toughness  of  the  Wolf,  into  the 
kind  of  his  Train-Dogs.  And  because 
of  all  this,  I,  who  am  a  Dog,  am  out- 
casted." 

"Well,  we  '11  soon  all  be  gone," 
sighed  the  Bull,  plaintively;  "when  I 
was  a  Smooth  Horn,  and  in  the  full 
glory  of  my  strength  — " 

"Thou  must  have  been  of  a  great 
strength,  Shag,  for  thou  art  the  biggest 
Bull  from  Belly  Buttes  to  Old  Man 
River  —  Waugh !  Waugh  !  that  I  can 


swear  to.'3 


"In  those  days/'  continued  Shag, 
taking  a  swinging  lick  at  his  scraggy 
hide  with  his  rough  tongue,  "in  those 


ii 


The   Outcasts 


days,  when  I  was  a  Smooth  Horn,  I  led 
a  Herd  that  caused  the  sweet-grass  plain 
to  tremble  like  water  when  we  galloped 
over  it.  We  were  as  locusts  —  that 
many ;  and  when  crossing  a  coulee  I  've 
turned  with  pride  on  the  opposite  bank 

—  I    always    went    first  —  and,  looking 
back,  saw  the  whole  hollow  just  a  wav 
ing  mass  of  life.      Such  life,  too,  Lone 
Dog ;    silk-coated  Cows  with    Calf  at 
knee ;  and  Bulls  there  were  full  many 

—  because  I  tolerated  them,  of  course 

—  and  all  strong  and  fat,  and  troubled 
by  nothing  but,  perchance,  in  the  Cold 
Time  a  few  days  of  the  White  Storm 
which  covered  our  food.      But  that  did 
not  matter  much  ;  we  just  drifted  head 
on  to  the  harsh-edged  blizzard,  and  lived 
on  the  thick  fat  of  our  kidneys." 

"But    the     Redmen  —  the    hairless- 
faced     ones,"    interrupted     Dog- Wolf; 

12 


The   Outcasts 


"  they  killed  many  a  Buffalo  in  the  old 
days." 

"  We  could  spare  them/'  replied 
Shag;  "their  Deathshafts  of  wood  slew 
but  a  few.  Like  yourself,  A'tim,  they 
killed  only  when  they  were  hungry. 
It 's  the  many-breathed  Fire-stick  of  the 
Paleface  that  has  destroyed  us,  A'tim; 
but  like  you,  Brother,  I,  who  am  but  an 
Outcast  because  of  my  great  age,  and  be 
cause  my  horns  have  become  stubs,  care 
not  overmuch.  Why  should  I  lament 
over  my  own  people  who  have  driven  me 
forth  —  made  of  me  an  Outcast?" 

"There  is  to  be  a  big  Run  to-mor 
row —  a  mighty  Kill,"  said  A'tim, 
growing  tired  of  the  old  Bull's  remi 
niscent  wail. 

"Where?"  queried  the  other. 

"  At  Stone  Hill  Corral.  Eagle  Shoe 
says  they  will  kill  five  hundred  head." 

'3 


The   Outcasts 


"I  know,"  sighed  Shag  —  "at  the 
Pound;  I  know  that  death-trap.  Half 
a  Herd  I  lost  there  once  through  the 
conceit  of  a  young  Bull  hardly  out  of 
the  Spike  Horn  age.  Well  I  know 
the  Pound  —  even  the  old  Indian  of 
deep  cunning  who  made  it,  Chief 
Poundmaker — that  's  how  he  came  by 
his  name,  A'tim.  But,  as  I  was  saying, 
when  I  tried  to  turn  the  Herd,  knowing 
what  was  meant,  this  Calf  Bull  led  a 
part  of  them  straight  into  the  very  trap. 
Served  him  right,  too;  but  the  Cows! 
Ah,  me !  My  poor  people !  Slaugh 
tered,  every  one  of  them  ;  and  so  it  will 
be  again  to-morrow  —  eh,  A'tim  ?  It 's 
the  big  Herd  down  in  the  good  feeding 
they  're  after,  I  suppose." 

"  Yes,"  answered  A'tim  ;  "  to-mor 
row  the  whole  Blood  tribe,  and  Camous 
the  Paleface,  who  is  but  a  squaw  man, 


The   Outcasts 


living   in    their  lodges,  will    make  the 
Run." 

"  I  wish  I  could  stampede  the  Buffalo 
to  save  them,"  sighed  Shag;  "but  my 
sides  are  sore  from  the  insulting  prods 
of  the  Spike  Horns.  Not  a  Bull  in 
the  whole  Herd,  from  Smooth  Horns, 
who  are  wise,  down  to  Spike  Horns, 
who  are  fools  because  of  their  youth, 
but  thinks  it  fair  sport  to  drive  at  me  if 
I  go  near.  Surely  I  am  an  Outcast — 
which  seems  to  me  a  strange  thing. 
When  we  come  to  the  knowledge  age, 
having  gained  wisdom,  we  are  driven 
forth." 

"No  ;  you  *d  only  get  into  trouble," 
declared  A'tim  decisively.  "  We,  who 
are  Brothers  because  of  our  condition, 
will  watch  this  Run  from  afar.  To 
morrow,  for  once  in  my  life,  I  shall  have 
a  full  stomach." 


The   Outcasts 


"  I  am  going  back  to  the  Buttes  to 
sleep/'  declared  Shag. 

"I  will  go  also,"  said  A'tim;  "while 
you  rest,  I,  who  sleep  with  one  eye 
open,  after  the  manner  of  my  Wolf 
Brothers,  will  watch. " 

In  a  little  valley  driven  into  the 
Buttes'  side,  where  the  grass  grew  long 
because  of  deep  snow  in  winter  time, 
the  big  Buffalo  stopped,  prospected  the 
ground  with  his  nose,  flipped  a  sharp 
stone  from  the  couch  with  nimble  lip, 
and  knelt  down  gingerly,  for  rheuma 
tism  had  crept  into  his  old  bones;  then 
with  a  tired  grunt  of  relaxation  he  rolled 
on  his  side,  and  blew  a  great  breath  of 
sweet  content  through  his  nostrils. 

"A  good  bed,"  quoth  A'tim.  "I 
will  share  it  with  you,  Brother;  close 
against  your  stomach  for  warmth." 

He  took  the  three  turns  that  had 
16 


The  Outcasts 


come  to  him  of  his  Dog  heritage,  and 
curled  up  contentedly  against  the  great 
paunch  of  the  scarred  Bull. 

"I  can't  sleep  for  thinking  of  the 
big  Kill,"  murmured  Shag.  "  My  poor 
Brothers  and  Sisters,  also  some  of  my 
own  children,  are  in  that  Herd,  though 
they,  too,  have  disowned  and  driven  me 
forth." 

"  There  will  be  more  sweet  grass  for 
your  feeding  when  they  are  gone,  Shag," 
declared  Dog-Wolf. 

"Ah,  there  's  plenty  of  eating,  such 
as  it  is;  though  the  grass  on  the  prairie 
looks  short  and  dry  and  harsh,  yet  it  is 
sweet  in  the  cud.  To  you,  who  are  but 
a  Dog- Wolf,  the  eating  comes  first  in 
your  thought,  but  with  us  it  is  the  dread 
of  hunters,  who  keep  us  ever  on  the 
move." 

"  I  know  of  a  land  where  it  is  not 
this  way,"  asserted  A'tim,  after  a  pause; 
17 


The   Outcasts 


"a  beautiful  land,  with  pea-vine  knee- 
deep,  and  grass  the  Men  call  blue-joint, 
that  fair  tops  my  back  when  I  walk 
through  it.  As  for  drink!  why,  one 
day  in  a  single  tramp  I  crossed  sixteen 
streams  of  beautiful  running  water/' 

"Are  you  dreaming,  A'tim?"  asked 
Shag,  touching  the  Dog- Wolf's  back 
with  the  battered  point  of  his  stub-horn. 

"  No,  Bull ;  and  there  are  few  hunters 
in  that  land,  and  few  of  your  kind ;  and 
shelter  of  forest  against  the  White  Storm ; 
and  buttes  and  coulees  everywhere." 

"An  ideal  Range,"  muttered  the 
Bull;  "is  it  far?" 

"Perhaps  half  a  moon  —  perhaps  a 
whole  moon  from  here  to  there,  just  as 
one's  feet  stand  the  trail." 

"You  make  me  long  for  that  great 
feeding,"  sighed  Shag  enviously. 

"Yes,  you  'd  be  better  in  the  North 
land,  Shag,"  said  the  Dog- Wolf,  sleepily 
18 


The   Outcasts 


—  "better  there.  Here  you  are  an 
Outcast,  even  as  I  am/' 

"Yes,  after  the  big  Kill  to-morrow/' 
sighed  the  Bull  mournfully,  "I  shall 
want  to  trail  somewhere.  Across  Koo- 
tenay  River  is  good  feeding-ground,  but 
there  the  accursed  Long  Knives  are  filled 
with  the  very  devil  of  destruction,  and 
kill  even  such  as  I  am,  though  my  hide 
is  not  worth  the  lifting.  I,  who  am 
an  Outcast,  and  have  lost  all  pride,  know 
this  —  I  am  worthless." 

The  bubbling  monotone  of  the  old 
Bull  had  put  A'tim  to  sleep.  He  was 
giving  vent  to  gasping  snores  and  plain 
tive  whimpers,  and  his  legs  were  twitch 
ing  spasmodically;  he  was  dreaming  of 
the  chase.  Shag  turned  his  massive 
head  and  watched  the  nervous  Dog- 
Wolf  with  heavy,  tired  eyes.  "He  is 
chasing  the  reed-legged  Antelope  now; 
or,  perhaps,  even  in  his  sleep,  Camous 
19 


The   Outcasts 


pursues  him  with  the  many-breathed 
Fire-stick.  Well,  well,  by  my  hump, 
but  we  all  have  our  troubles;  even  this 
Dog- Wolf,  who  is  not  half  my  age,  has 
lived  into  the  hard  winter  of  life." 

Then  Shag  rested  his  black-whiskered 
chin  on  the  soft  turf,  his  tired  eyelids, 
mange-shaved,  drooped  over  the  age- 
blurred  eyes,  and  these  two  Outcasts,  so 
strangely  mated,  driven  together  by  ad 
versity,  slept  in  the  coulee  of  Belly 
Buttes. 


A^OLD,  weakling  gray-light  was 
touching  with  ghastly  fresco 
the  Belly  Buttes  when  A'tim 
stretched  out  his  paw  and  scratched  im 
patiently  at  Shag's  leather  side.  The 
Bull  came  back  slowly  out  of  his  heavy 
sleep. 

"Gently,  Wolf  Brother,"  he  cried 
petulantly;  "your  claws  are  wondrous 
strong,  and  my  side  has  many  sore  spots 
—  love  scars  from  my  Brother  Bulls." 

"You  '11  have  worse  than  Bull  scars 
if  you  don't  wake  up,"  answered  A'tim ; 
"can't  you  hear  something?" 

Shag  tipped  his  massive  head  sideways 


21 


The   Outcasts 


with  drowsy  inquiry,  the  heavy  lids 
opening  in  unwilling  laziness.  A  muf 
fled,  palpitating  beat  was  in  the  sulky 
morning  air;  it  was  like  the  monotonous 
thump  of  a  war  drum  over  on  the  Re 
serve. 

"What  is  it?"  queried  the  Bull,  rais 
ing  his  head  with  full-aged  dignity. 

"Eagle  Shoe's  pinto  is  pounding  the 
trail;  the  Run  is  on,"  answered  A'tim. 

Shag  heaved  his  huge  body  to  his 
knees  wearily,  struggled  to  his  feet  with 
stiff-limbed  action,  and  shook  his  gaunt 
sides. 

"You  need  n't  do  that,"  sneered 
A'tim;  "not  much  grass  sticks  to  your 
coat  now." 

"  No,  it 's  only  force  of  habit,"  grunted 
Shag.  "  And  to  think  of  the  time  when 
my  beautiful  hair  was  the  envy  of  the 
whole  range;  for  I  was  a  Silk-Coat,  you 

22 


The   Outcasts 


know  —  a  rare  thing  in  Bulls,  to  be  sure. 
But  I  'm  not  that  now;  when  I  look  in 
the  lake  waters  and  see  only  this  miser 
able  ruff  about  my  neck,  and  scant  tuft 
on  my  tail,  I  feel  sad  —  feel  ashamed. 
The  tongue  of  the  lake  tells  me  all  that, 
Brother,  so  say  no  more  about  it." 

"Wait  you  here,  Shag,"  commanded 
A'tim ;  "  I  will  go  up  on  a  Butte  and 
see  the  method  of  these  hunters;  my 
eyes  are  younger  than  yours,  Herd 
Leader." 

When  the  Dog-Wolf  returned  he 
said:  "Eagle  Shoe  is  riding  far  to  the 
South ;  let  us  follow  in  the  river  flat  and 
see  this  Run,  for  it  will  be  a  mighty 
Kill.  O-o-o-h !  but  I  am  empty  — 
famished ! " 

"Always  of  blood,"  muttered  the  Bull 
to  himself — "always  of  blood  and  meat 
eating;  Wolf  and  Dog;  Dog- Wolf  and 
23 


The  Outcasts 


Man  —  always  full  of  the  blood  thought 
and  the  desire  for  a  Kill." 

They  could  hear  the  thud  of  pony 
hoofs  on  the  dry  prairie's  hollow  drum 
as  they  traveled,  winding  in  and  out 
the  tangle  of  willow  bushes  that  fol 
lowed  the  river.  Then  the  hoof  beats 
died  away,  and  A'tim  said:  "Now  he 
has  circled  to  the  West  —  that  means 
something;  let  us  go  up  and  see/' 

They  stole  up  the  old  river  bank  to 
the  brow  of  the  uplands.  A  mile  off 
they  could  see  Eagle  Shoe  standing  be 
side  his  cayuse.  As  they  watched,  the 
Blood  Indian  stooped,  caught  up  a  hand 
ful  of  black  earth-dust  and  threw  it  high 
in  air.  That  was  sign  talk,  and  told 
his  comrades  who  were  hiding  on  the 
prairie  that  he  saw  many  Buffalo  — 
Buffalo  many  as  the  grains  of  sand  cast 
to  the  wind. 

24 


The  Outcasts 


Then  he  trailed  his  blanket  behind 
him  as  he  walked  beside  his  ewe-necked 
pinto,  and  two  Indians  stole  stealthily 
from  their  prairie  cover  like  Coyotes, 
and  followed  Eagle  Shoe. 

"Ah!"  muttered  Shag,  as  he  and 
A'tim  went  forward  slowly,  "I  know. 
This  Indian  has  the  cunning  of  a  whole 
Wolf-Pack;  is  that  not  so,  Brother? 
King  Animals ! "  he  exclaimed,  in  a  great 
voice  like  the  low  of  the  wind  coming 
through  a  mountain  gorge;  "is  that 
not  the  Herd  yonder,  clear-eyed  Dog- 
Wolf?" 

"By  the  chance  of  meat,  it  is  —  a 
mighty  Herd,  Shag;  such  a  Herd  as  the 
Caribou  make  in  the  Northland  when 
they  mate." 

"Now  the  Buffalo  see  Eagle  Shoe," 
continued  Shag;  "but  they  have  no  wis 
dom;  they  but  see  some  one  thing  that 
25 


The  Outcasts 


has  life.  Perhaps  they  will  even  say: 
'  It  is  only  old  Shag,  the  Outcast ;  let  us 
feed  in  peace/  Their  eyes  are  the  eyes 
of  Calves,  and  their  noses  tell  them  no 
thing,  for  the  hunt  Man  is  down  Wind, 
is  he  not,  A'tim?" 

"Surely,  Brother;  even  a  moneas,  a 
green  hunter  of  a  Paleface,  would  know 
better  than  to  send  the  flavor  of  his 
presence  on  the  Wind's  back." 

"  Yes,  even  so,"  continued  Shag.  " See 
how  gently  he  moves  toward  them.  Dan 
ger  !  One  Bull's  head  is  up ;  he  has  dis 
covered  that  it  is  not  a  Buffalo;  now 
he  has  whispered  to  the  others,  for  they 
are  moving  slowly.  Thou  hast  spoken 
truth,  A'tim  —  a  strange  thing  for  a  Dog- 
Wolf,  too,"  he  muttered  to  himself — 
"it  w/7/be  a  mighty  Kill.  How  slowly 
the  Herd  moves;  they  are  not  afraid  of 
the  one  animal,  whatever  it  is — one,  did 
26 


The   Outcasts 


I  say,  A'tim?  Look  you,  Brother,  for 
you  have  the  Wolf-eyes:  are  there  not 
three  now  —  three  Kill  drivers  ?" 

"Yes,  three  Indians,"  answered  the 
Dog- Wolf.  "The  same  old  Hunt.  I  've 
watched  it  many  a  time  from  behind 
the  runners;  I  know  every  trick  of  these 
slayers.  Now  the  Run  surely  begins; 
let  us  close  up,  Shag,  for  the  hunters  will 
have  no  eyes  for  such  as  us ;  their  hearts 
are  full  of  the  killing  of  many  Buffalo. 
Also,  there  will  be  much  meat  warm 
to  a  cold  stomach  to-night ;"  and  he 
licked  his  chops  greedily. 

"I  don't  like  it,"  muttered  Shag; 
"  the  Palefaces,  with  their  many-breathed 
Fire-sticks,  have  killed  my  people,  and 
have  driven  them  up  from  the  South, 
and  now  they  are  gathered  together  in 
a  few  mighty  Herds  such  as  this.  The 
Redmen,  who  have  not  these  Fire-sticks, 
27 


The   Outcasts 


but  have  the  cunning  of  Wolves,  see  all 
this,  and  say  they  too  must  slay  a  whole 
Herd,  where  before  they  killed  but  two 
or  three.  We  '11  soon  be  all  gone  — 
we,  who  are  the  meat  food  of  these  Red- 
men,  we  '11  soon  be  all  gone,  and  then 
what  will  they  do,  A'tim  ?  Will  they 
kill  each  other,  as  your  people  do  when 
the  famine  gets  into  their  hearts  ?  Or 
will  they  just  lie  down  and  die,  as  my 
people  do  when  the  White  Storm  blots 
out  all  the  grass  food?" 

"I  do  not  know,  Great  Bull,"  an 
swered  A'tim.  "To-night  I  shall  be 
full  of  much  meat,  perhaps  even  to 
morrow;  after  that  I  know  not  what 
may  come  with  the  warm  trail  of  the 


sun/ 


The    Outcasts   saw   the  two   Indians 
ride  into  the  eye  of  the  Wind  that  blew 
up  from  the  South  across  the  Herd.    As 
28 


The   Outcasts 


a  sudden  squall  ripples  a  smooth  lake, 
so  the  scent  of  the  Redmen  carried  by 
the  prairie  breeze  stirred  the  sea  of 
brown-backed  Buffalo. 

"Now  they  will  stampede,"  quoth 
Shag,  eying  this  manoeuver  with  heavy 
intentness. 

"Yes,"  answered  A'tim,  "and  Eagle 
Shoe  will  lead  your  brethren  to  their 
destruction.  We  will  wait  here  till  they 
have  passed,  then  we  will  follow." 

"Yonder  is  one  of  the  bush  wings 
leading  to  the  slaughter-pen,  the  Stone 
Hill  Corral,"  cried  Shag;  "and  on  the 
far  side  will  be  another,  though  we  can't 
see  it  yet." 

"Yes,"  concurred  A'tim,  "I  see  it; 
they  '11  come  closer  and  closer  together, 
these  two  run  of  bushes,  and  at  the  far 
end  there  will  be  but  a  narrow  trail  like 
a  coulee,  and  after  that  they  drop  into 
29 


The   Outcasts 


Stone  Hill  Pit  —  the  Buffalo  Pound. 
I  saw  the  Indians  building  these  trail- 
slides  last  night.  It  will  be  a  great  Run 
-a  mighty  Kill!" 

"Yes,"  affirmed  Shag,  "we  both  know 
of  this  thing  —  we  who  are  of  no  ac 
count;  it  is  only  the  Outcasts  who  have 
much  wisdom,  seemingly.  Behind  the 
bushes  hide  the  Indians,  and  no  Buffalo 
will  break  through  because  of  them. 
On,  on  they  '11  gallop  to  the  death-pit, 
the  Pound.  Let  us  move  up  closer; 
my  old  blood  tingles  with  it,  for  I  've 
been  in  many  a  Run." 

A'tim  grinned  like  a  Hyena.  Already 
in  his  Wolf  nostrils  was  the  visionary 
scent  of  blood,  and  much  killing.  That 
night  he  would  dip  his  lean  jaws  in  the 
Kill  of  the  Redmen. 

Eagle  Shoe  and  the  two  Indians  who 
had  come  up  out  of  the  level  plain  like 

3° 


The   Outcasts 


evil  spirits  were  leading  and  driving  their 
prey  into  the  wide  jaws  of  the  converg 
ing  stockade.  The  Buffalo  were  press 
ing  on  to  destruction  with  increased 
pace,  following  with  blind  stupidity  the 
horseman  who  cantered  in  front  of  them. 
From  a  lazy  stroll  they  had  quickened 
to  a  fast  walk;  a  shuffling  trot  had  given 
place  to  an  impatient  lope.  Calves  were 
being  hustled  to  the  center  of  the  mov 
ing  Herd  by  loving  mothers.  Head 
down,  and  wisp-tail  straight  out,  the 
brown  bodies  shifted  from  lope  to  mad 
gallop.  The  Bulls  snorted  restlessly  and 
called  hoarse-voiced  to  their  consorts: 
"Speed  fast,  for  something  evil  fol 
lows." 

The  beaten  earth  groaned  in  hollow 
misery;  the  thrusting  weight  of  half  a 
thousand  head  made  its  breast  ache ;  its 
plaintive  protest  grew  into  an  angry  roar 

31 


The   Outcasts 


like  incessant  thunder;  the  dust,  sharp- 
hoof-pounded,  rose  like  a  hot  breath, 
and  hung  foglike  over  the  troubled  sea 
of  rocking  bodies. 

Behind,  the  two  horsemen,  wide  apart 
like  fan  points,  galloped  with  hard-set 
faces.  Eagerly  the  ponies,  bred  to  the 
Hunt,  stretched  their  limbs  of  steel-like 
toughness,  and  raced  for  the  brown 
cloud  that  fled  as  a  broken  regiment. 

Surely  it  was  wondrous  sport,  as  A'tim 
thought;  surely  it  was  unholy  slaughter, 
as  the  Outcast  Bull  muttered. 

Now  the  galloping  brutes  were  well 
between  the  brush  walls  of  the  ever- 
narrowing  stockade.  A  Calf,  speed- 
strangled,  slipped  from  the  dust  cloud 
and  wandered  aimlessly  toward  the 
galloping  horsemen ;  Grasshead's  pony 
swerved  as  the  Calf  sprawled  in  his  path. 

On  the  Buffalo  galloped;  faster  and 
32 


The   Outcasts 


faster  rode  Eagle  Shoe.  His  cayuse, 
the  fleetest  Buffalo  horse  of  all  the  Blood 
tribe,  galloped  with  the  full  fear  in  his 
heart  of  the  danger  that  was  behind. 
Low  over  his  neck  crouched  Eagle 
Shoe;  one  false  step  —  a  yawning  badger 
hole,  a  swerve  at  a  white  rock,  a  falter, 
and  crunching  hoofs  would  grind  the 
Redskin  to  pulp. 

Wedge-shaped  the  Herd  raced  for 
the  leading  horseman;  hindermost  la 
bored  the  fatted  bulls,  but  in  front  thun 
dered  the  leader. 

With  hawk  eye,  Eagle  Shoe  swept  the 
stockade  wall  for  the  opening  through 
which  he  was  to  slip  and  let  the  Herd 
gallop  on  to  their  destruction.  Hi,  yi ! 
there  it  was.  Sharp  to  the  left,  swing 
ing  his  body  far  out  on  the  side  to  steady 
the  careening  cayuse,  he  turned.  As  he 
shot  through  the  opening  two  Indians 

33 


The   Outcasts 


rose  up,  and  their  guns  belched  a  red 
repulse  in  the  faces  of  the  Buffalo. 

On  swept  the  Herd  —  on  raced  the 
pursuing  Redskins,  now  joined  by  Eagle 
Shoe.  An  Indian  rose  like  a  specter 
behind  the  bush  wall,  and  twanged  a 
hoarse-singing  arrow  into  the  quivering 
flank  of  the  Herd  that  was  as  one  Buf 
falo.  His  Hunt-Cry  of  joy,  fierce- 
voiced,  was  like  the  wail  of  an  infant  — 
the  roar  of  the  troubled  earth  hushed  it 
to  nothing. 

Fear  rode  on  the  backs  of  the  strid 
ing  beasts,  and  they  were  afraid;  and  in 
their  hearts  was  only  gallop,  gallop,  gal 
lop  ;  there  was  no  thought,  nothing  but 
frenzy;  no  thought  of  breaking  through 
the  wing  sides,  flimsy  as  a  deep  shadow, 
for  behind  twig-laced  walls  were  strange 
demons  possessed  of  the  Man-Call,  the 
Kill-Cry.  On,  on,  on!  only  in  front 
34 


The   Outcasts 


was  any  opening;  there  the  prairie  lay 
still  and  smiling.  Wedge-like  behind 
their  Bull  Leader  they  thundered.  To 
him  the  open  prairie  in  front  beckoned 
and  smiled  a  lie  of  safe  passage;  the 
Pound,  the  death-pit,  dug  on  its  rounded 
breast,  lay  hushed  in  silent  ambush,  and 
the  Bull  Leader  saw  only  a  narrow  gate 
at  the  far  end  of  the  fast-closing  wings. 
Soon  he  would  lead  all  this  mighty 
Herd  that  had  grown  into  his  charge 
past  the  walls  that  were  alive  with  evil 
spirits,  and  out  to  the  prairie  beyond. 

What  could  rise  up  in  front  and  stay 
that  mad  rush  of  half  a  thousand  Buf 
falo?  Nothing  —  nothing!  and  the 
Pound  still  lay  hushed  —  waiting. 

Behind  the  Bull,  with  implicit  faith, 
pressed  the  Herd.  Only  a  short  dis 
tance  reached  the  dreaded  yellow-leafed 
walls  that  hid  the  Man  enemy.  In  six 
35 


The  Outcasts 


breaths  he  would  have  passed  the  narrow 
mouth,  and  all  his  heart's  pride  would 
stream  out  from  that  death  gauntlet  to 
the  broad  Range  that  called  to  him. 

Even  now  he  drew  a  sigh  of  relief; 
one  more  jump  —  oh,  spirit  of  sacred 
Buffalo !  that  yawning  abyss !  the  frown 
of  the  Pound.  He  braced  his  giant 
forelegs  in  the  graveled  earth  on  its 
very  brink.  Too  late!  Behind,  two 
hundred  tons  of  impetuous  fright  crashed 
against  his  guarding  frame ;  the  treach 
erous  sod  crumbled ;  down,  down,  thirty 
feet  sheer,  over  the  cliff  he  shot:  two, 
six,  a  dozen,  fifty!  beyond  all  count, 
one  after  another,  bellowing  Cow  and 
screaming  Calf,  they  hurtled  into  the 
slaughter-pen  of  the  Blood  Indians' 
corral. 

Inferno  upon  earth  was  born  in  an 
instant;  up  from  the  sun  smile  of  the 
36 


ONE   AFTER   ANOTHER   THEY   HURTLED  INTO  THE  SLAUGHTER  PEN 
OF  THE   BLOOD  INDIANS'  CORRAL. 


The   Outcasts 


prairie  rose  a  shadow  of  fiends.  The 
walls  of  the  pit,  large  as  the  Coliseum, 
were  lined  with  Redskins  of  the  mur 
der  caste.  Bow-strings  twanged ;  dag- 
spears,  long-handled,  were  driven  with 
vengeful  swish  into  the  bellowing  mob 
of  crazed  Buffalo.  A  sulphurous  cloud 
of  gun  smoke  settled  over  the  pit.  Of 
a  verity  it  was  a  carnival  of  demons. 
Surely  it  was  a  mighty  Kill !  Surely  it 
was  a  blood  fresco  on  the  beautiful 
earth. 

Some  strong  animals,  not  shattered  in 
their  fall,  rushed  about  the  pit  in  erratic 
frenzy,  like  victims  in  a  Roman  arena. 
The  mocking  walls  rose  on  every  side, 
grim,  unsurmountable,  and  thrust  the 
captives  back  into  the  shambles;  jagged 
flint  arrow-heads  stung  their  hearts  like 
angry  serpents.  Oh,  blessed  quick  death ! 
better  than  the  smother  and  trample 

37 


The   Outcasts 


that  beat  out  the  lives  of  others,  inch  by 
inch.  The  gun  fire  belched  hot  in  their 
faces;  the  bellowing  of  Bulls  almost 
hushed  the  Hunt-Cry  of  the  Red 
man. 

For  an  hour  the  full  carnage  lived; 
the  joy  of  blood-shedding  was  over  the 
Indians;  gray-aged  warriors  and  lean- 
chested  children,  all  drank  of  the  glory 
of  slaughter.  Skinning-knife  in  hand, 
the  Squaws  waited  for  the  tumult  to 
subside  that  they  might  complete  the 
tragedy. 

At  last  no  Buffalo  chased  hopelessly 
over  the  dead  bodies  of  his  fellows,  seek 
ing  a  vain  safety;  all  were  stricken  to 
their  death  —  not  one  had  escaped.  No 
bellowing  was  heard  now;  nothing  but 
the  victory  clamor  of  the  rabble  and 
the  gasping  choke  of  dying  Buffalo. 
Out  on  the  prairie  the  silly  Calf  wan- 

38 


The   Outcasts 


dered  like  a  lost  babe  —  the  only  sur 
vivor  of  a  king-led  Herd. 

Like  butchers,  the  strong-backed 
Squaws  leaped  into  the  arena,  its  stone 
floor  slippery  with  blood,  and  stripped 
the  bodies  of  their  victims.  The  In 
dians,  their  warrior  pride  holding  them 
aloof  from  this  menial  labor,  sat  and 
gloried  in  the  mighty  Kill. 

Shag  and  the  Dog- Wolf  had  heard 
the  din  from  afar.  "They  will  not 
poison  the  meat  to-night,"  muttered 
A'tim,  "and  when  they  have  gorged 
themselves  to  sleep,  I  also  shall  feast, 
for  it  must  have  been  a  great  Kill." 

"It's  dreadful!"  lamented  Shag; 
"it  's  dreadful!  I  can't  eat  —  the  grass 
tastes  of  blood,  for  this  Kill  has  been 
of  my  kind.  It  is  different  with  you, 
A'tim.  I  will  sleep  here  in  this  near-by 
coulee,  and  when  you  have  feasted,  Dog 
39 


The   Outcasts 


Brother,  come  back  to  me,  for  I  am 
sad  and  my  heart  is  heavy;  come  back, 
A'tim,  and  sleep  warm  against  my  side." 

Far  into  the  night,  by  the  light  of 
dry  willow  fires,  like  dancing  ghouls, 
the  Squaws  cut  and  hacked  and  laid 
bare  the  bones  that  had  been  joyous  in 
much  life  at  sunrise. 

Over  the  camp-fires,  for  long  hours, 
the  pots  boiled  and  bubbled  with  the 
cooking  meat  —  the  delicious  Buffalo 
flesh  that  was  meat  and  bread  to  the 
Indians;  and  beside  the  glowing  embers 
huge  joints  spitted  on  sharp  sticks  siz 
zled  and  threw  off  a  perfume  that  came 
to  the  starved  nostrils  of  A'tim,  and  al 
most  crazed  him  with  eager  hunger. 

Would  the  Indians  never  cease  eat 
ing?  he  wondered.  Close-crept,  he 
watched  Eagle  Shoe  take  a  piece  of  the 
luscious  "back  fat"  —  ah,  well  A'tim 
40 


The   Outcasts 


knew  the  loin!  —  and  devour  it  greedily. 
How  like  vultures  these  feeders  were, 
A'tim  thought.  At  least  a  dozen  times 
each  Indian  returned  to  the  flesh-pots, 
the  Dog-Wolf  felt  sure.  "They  are 
like  Wolves/'  he  snarled;  "well  I  know 
them.  For  days  and  days  they  will  live 
on  nothing,  even  as  a  Wolf;  then,  when 
the  Kill  is  on,  they  will  gorge  until 
they  are  stupid.  E-u-h-ha !  but  when 
they  become  stupid  from  this  feeding 
surely  I  will  also  feast;  wait,  hunger- 
pain,  wait  just  a  little." 

A  cold  moon  came  up  over  the  fog- 
lined  prairie  and  looked  down  wonder- 
ingly  at  the  fierce  barbecue.  Sometimes 
the  silent  prairie,  silent  as  the  Catacombs, 
would  be  startled  by  the  exultant  cry 
of  a  blood-drunken  feaster.  It  was  a 
fierce  joy  the  Kill  had  brought  to  these 
Pagans. 

41 


The   Outcasts 


Half  a  thousand  robes  Eagle  Shoe 
had  tallied.  "  Waugh  !  Ugh !  Ugh  ! " 
he  had  grunted  in  sheer  joy  when  the 
little  willow  wands  which  marked  the 
score  had  been  counted  before  him. 
Surely  they  would  revel  in  things  dear 
to  the  heart  of  an  Indian  when  the 
robes  were  carted  to  the  Hudson  Bay 
Store.  The  meat  was  feeling  all  right 
in  its  way  when  the  stomach  was  lean, 
but  at  the  Fort,  at  the  time  of  giving  up 
the  robes  —  Waugh  !  God  of  the  fallen 
Indians !  how  they  would  revel  in  the 
fierce  fire-water,  the  glorious  fire-water ! 
Even  the  Squaws,  useful  at  the  skinning, 
would  also  drink,  and  reel,  and  become 
lower  than  the  animals  they  had  slain 
to  bring  about  all  this  saturnalia.  Why 
had  his  forefathers  fought  against  the 
Palefaces?  Was  not  all  this  civilized 
evil  a  good  thing,  after  all  ? 
42 


The   Outcasts 


A  cloud  drifted  a  frown  over  the  face 
of  the  cold  moon,  and  A'tirn  skulked 
closer  and  closer — almost  to  the  very 
edge  of  the  slaughter-pit.  The  Indian 
Pack-Dogs  snarled  at  his  presence,  and 
yapped  crabbedly.  Other  gray  shadows, 
less  venturesome  than  the  Dog-Wolf, 
flitted  restlessly  back  and  forth  in  the 
dim  mist  of  the  silent  plain. 

A'tim  sneered  to  himself  maliciously. 
"To-day  is  the  Kill  of  the  Buffalo," 
he  muttered;  "to-morrow  you,  my 
Gray  Brothers,  will  give  up  your  lives 
because  of  the  Death  Powder.  There 
will  be  meat  enough  for  the  poisoning ; 
feast  to-night,  for  to-morrow  you  die, 
and  your  pelts  will  go  with  those  of 
the  Dead  Grass-Eaters.  If  you  had  not 
outcasted  me,  I,  who  know  of  this 
thing,  would  save  you  ;  but  to-morrow 
I  shall  be  far  away  and  care  not." 
43 


The   Outcasts 


Would  the  Indians  never  gorge  them 
selves  to  sleep  ?  Eagle  Shoe's  voice  was 
hushed ;  one  by  one  the  feasters  stretched 
themselves  upon  the  silent  grass,  and 
slumbered  with  a  heaviness  of  full  con 
tent.  When  the  last  Squaw,  weary  of  the 
blood  toil,  curled  beneath  her  blanket, 
A'tim  crept  to  the  meat  piles.  All 
the  energy  of  his  rested  stomach  urged 
him  to  the  feasting;  there  was  no 
stint. 

Surely  no  Swift-runner,  Dog  or  Wolf, 
ever  had  such  a  choosing.  The  Pack- 
Dogs  kept  the  Wolves  at  bay,  but  with 
A'tim  was  the  scent  of  their  own  kind, 
the  Dog  scent.  He  was  not  an  utter 
stranger  to  them,  only  an  Outcast ;  they 
tolerated  him  as  a  beggar  at  the  meat 
store  of  which  they  had  more  than 
enough. 

At  last  the  hunger  pain  was  all  gone. 
44 


The   Outcasts 


Once  in  his  Train-Dog  days  he  had 
looted  a  cache  of  White  Fish,  and  eaten 
until  he  could  eat  no  more;  it  was  like 
that  now.  Then,  with  a  Dog  thought 
for  the  morrow,  he  stole  four  huge 
pieces  of  choice  meat,  and  cached 
them  in  the  little  coulee  where  waited 
Shag. 

"Ah!  you  've  come  back,  Brother," 
said  the  Bull,  as  A'tim  crept  compla 
cently  to  his  side.  "  I  was  afraid  some 
thing  might  have  happened  to  you,  for 
hunger  often  carries  us  into  unknown 
danger." 

"  E-u-h-h !  but  it  was  a  mighty  Kill, 
Shag.  Such  flesh  I  've  never  tasted  — 
never  —  tasted — "  He  was  asleep. 

"I  wonder  what  makes  the  moon 
red,"  muttered  Shag,  drowsily,  as  he, 
too,  nodded  off  to  sleep. 

Then  again  the  two  Outcasts,  the 
45 


The   Outcasts 


one  for  whom  the  blood  horror  had 
colored  the  moon  red,  and  the  other 
with  a  new  joy  of  meat  fullness,  slum 
bered  together  in  the  little  coulee  by 
the  Buffalo  Pound. 


SHAG  was  the  first  to  awaken ;  the 
night's  banquet  caused  the  morn 
ing  to  come  slowly  to  A'tim. 

The  pulling  cut  of  Shag's  heavy  jaws 
on  the  crisp  grass  awoke  the  Dog- 
Wolf.  He  yawned  heavily,  and  eyed 
the  old  Bull  with  sleepy  indifference. 
Ghur-h-h-h  !  what  a  plaintive  figure 
the  aged  Buffalo  was,  to  be  sure. 

"  Good-morning,  Brother,"  whuffed 
Shag,  his  mouth  full  of  grass ;  "  where 
are  you  going  ?  " 

"  I  cached  a  piece  of  the  new  meat 
here  last  night,"  answered  A'tim,  as  he 
nosed  under  an  overhanging  cut-bank. 

47 


The   Outcasts 


"  Forest  thieves  !  "  he  ejaculated  an 
grily;  "the  Gray  Stealers  of  Things 
have  taken  it."  His  cache  was  as  bare 
as  Mother  HubbarcTs  cupboard — not 
even  a  bone  ;  there  was  nothing  but  the 
reddened  stones  where  the  meat  had 
lain,  and  a  foul  odor  of  Wolf.  Im 
petuously  he  rushed  to  the  second 
cache;  it,  too,  was  void  of  all  meat; 
the  third  cache  held  nothing  but  the 
footprints  of  his  gray  half-brothers,  the 
Wolf  Thieves. 

Despair  crept  into  the  heart  of 
A'tim;  what  use  to  explore  the  fourth 
cache?  The  meat  would  be  gone  of  a 
certainty.  Why  had  he  slept  so 
soundly  ?  Why  had  he  hidden  the  meat 
at  all  ?  Oh !  but  he  <was  stupid  ;  as  silly 
as  a  calf  Musk  Ox. 

And  the  other  meat  up  at  the  Pound, 
such  as  was  left,  would  be  full  of  Death 
48 


The   Outcasts 


Powder,  put  there  for  the  Gray  Run 
ners.  How  he  hoped  they  might  eat 
it  all — the  thieves  !  It  seemed  such  un 
necessary  looting,  too,  to  steal  his  food 
when  there  was  so  much  at  the 
Pound ;  it  was  like  the  persecution  that 
had  kept  him  an  Outcast  from  the 
Wolf  Pack. 

"  There  is  nothing  meaner  in  the 
world  than  a  Wolf,"  he  muttered ; 
"  nothing ;  and  already  I  am  hungry 
again." 

At  his  fourth  cache  he  scratched  in 
differently.  But  the  long  nails  of  his 
paw  touched  something  soft  and  yield 
ing — it  was  flesh.  How  had  it  escaped 
the  Gray  Stealers  ? 

"  See,   Shag,"   he   said,  bringing  his 

joint   close  to  the  Bull,   and  laying  it 

down  lovingly,   "  last  night  I   laid  in  a 

grub  stake,   as   my   old    Master  would 

49 


The    Outcasts 


say,  that  would  have  landed  me  in  fair 
condition  in  the  Northland.  Those 
accursed  Wolves,  of  whose  kind  I  am 
not,  being  a  Dog,  have  stolen  it — all  but 
this  piece.  It  was  out  of  consideration 
for  you,  my  friend,  knowing  your  dread 
of  the  blood  smell,  that  made  me  cache 
it  a  little  apart.  How  I  wish  I  had 
lain  on  it — made  my  bed  on  its  soft, 
sweet  sides.  Such  meat  I  have  not 
eaten  for  many  a  day." 

"  I'm  sorry/'  lamented  Shag;  "it's 
too  bad.  Here  is  nothing  but  sorrow 
for  every  one.  See  how  still  and  quiet 
the  old  Range  is  ;  only  those  slayers  of 
Redmen  up  by  the  Pound.  Years  ago, 
A'tim,  perhaps  when  you  were  a  Pup, 
all  this  prairie  that  is  so  beautiful  with 
its  short  Buffalo  grass,  was  just  covered 
with  people  of  my  kind;  and  Antelope 
— though  they  were  not  of  our  kind, 
50 


The   Outcasts 


still  we  liked  to  see  them — there  was 
no  harm  in  them,  being,  like  ourselves, 
Grass  Feeders  ;  and  to  the  South-West, 
Dog-Wolf " 

"I  am  no  Wolf,"  interrupted  A'tim, 
thinking  of  his  stolen  meat;  "  I  am  a 
Dog!" 

"Well,  well,  Dog,  to  the  South- 
West — from  here  we  can  even  see  Chief 
Mountain  where  is  that  land — there 
were  beautiful  big-horned  Elk,  also 
Grass  Feeders,  and  of  a  sweet  tem- 
per." 

"  I  know,"  ejaculated  A'tim,  licking 
at  his  flesh  food  ;  "  in  the  North  it 
was  just  the  same  with  the  Caribou,  the 
whole  land  alive  with  them — and 
Mooswa,  too." 

"  But  now,  A'tim,  since  the  coming 
of  the  Palefaces  we  are  slaughtered  by 
them  and  by  the  Redmen.  L-o-u-g-h 

51 


The   Outcasts 


— h-o-o  !  I  shall  leave  this  old  Range 
to-day  forever ;  my  heart  is  sad/' 

"  Come  with  me,  then,  Brother/' 
cried  A'tim  ;  "  together  we  will  go  to 
the  land  of  which  I  have  spoken.  It 
is  a  long,  lone  trail  for  one.  I  will 
guard  you  well,  for  I  know  Man's 
ways;  and  at  night  we  will  rest  side  by 
side." 

"  I  will  go,"  said  the  Bull  simply. 

"  Let  us  start,"  cried  A'tim,  seizing 
his  joint  of  Buffalo  meat,  and  sweeping 
the  horizon  with  suspicious  eyes. 

"  Your  eating  is  heavy,"  said  Shag  ; 
"  I  will  carry  it  for  you  on  my  horns. 
L-o-u-g-h — h-u !  the  blood  smells  ter 
rible!"  he  exclaimed  as  A'tim  pulled 
the  buffalo  flesh  over  Shag's  forehead. 

Then  the  two  Outcasts  took  up  the 
long  trail  toward  the  Northland,  where 
in  a  woof  of  sage  green  and  bracken 
52 


The   Outcasts 


gold  was  woven  a  scheme  of  flesh- 
colored  Castillejia,  and  wine-tinted 
moose-weed,  and  purple  pea-flower; 
where  was  the  golden  shimmer  of  Gail- 
lardia  and  slender  star-leafed  sun 
flower;  the  pencil  stalk  of  blue-joint, 
and  the  tasseled  top  of  luscious  pony- 
grass  :  a  veritable  promised  land  for  the 
old  Bull,  buffeted  of  his  fellows,  and 
finding  the  short  grass  of  the  Southland 
stubbornly  hard  against  his  worn  teeth. 
There,  too,  was  Wapoos,  the  Hare 
so  easily  caught  in  the  years  of  plenty, 
and  A'tim  need  never  feel  the  pangs  of 
a  collapsing  stomach.  There  also  were 
Marten,  and  Grouse,  and  Pheasant,  and 
Kit  Beaver,  and  other  animals  sweet 
against  the  tongue.  Surely  the  Dog- 
Wolf  had  lingered  too  long  in  that  bar 
ren  Southern  country,  where  there  was 
only  the  rat-faced  Gopher,  who  was 

53 


The   Outcasts 


but  a  mouthful;  with,  perhaps,  the 
chance  of  a  Buffalo  Calf  caught  away 
from  the  Herd.  Even  that  chance  was 
gone  now,  for  man  was  killing  them 
all  off.  Yes,  it  was  well  that  they 
should  trail  to  the  Northland,  each  said 
to  the  other. 

For  days  they  plodded  over  the  prai 
rie,  cobwebbed  into  deep  ruts  by  Buffalo 
trails  leading  from  grassland  to  water. 

It  was  on  the  third  day  that  A'tim 
said  to  the  Buffalo  Bull :  "  I  am  thirsty, 
Shag  ;  my  throat  is  hot  with  the  dust. 
Know  you  of  sweet  drinking  near — 
even  with  your  sense  of  the  hidden 
drinking  you  can  find  it,  Great  Bull, 
can  you  not  ?  " 

"  This  hollow  trail  leads  to  water, 
most  assuredly,"  answered  Shag,  step 
ping  leisurely  into  a  path  that  was  like 
an  old  plow  furrow  in  a  hay  meadow. 
54 


The   Outcasts 


"  Even  this  shows  how  many  were  my 
people  once."  The  Buffalo  sighed. 
"  Within  sight  are  more  trails  like  this 
than  you  have  toes  to  your  feet,  Dog- 
Wolf — this  whole  mighty  Range  from 
here  to  the  Uplands,  which  is  the  home 
of  the  White  Storm,  is  so  marked  with 
the  trails  of  my  people  ;  and  now  there 
are  only  these  Water  Runs  to  remind  us 
of  them." 

Soon  they  came  to  a  little  lake  blue 
with  the  mirrored  sky,  its  mud  banks 
white  as  though  with  driven  snow. 
"The  bitter  watermark,"  said  Shag,  as 
his  heavy  hoof  sank  through  the  white 
crust  on  the  dark  mud. 

"  I  know,"  answered  A'tim — "  alkali, 
that's  what  Man  calls  it." 

"  Let  us  rest  here  this  night — close  to 
the  drinking,"  commanded  Shag  ;  "  to 
morrow  we  will  go  forward  again." 

55 


The   Outcasts 


That  night  A'tim  ate  the  last  of  the 
Buffalo  meat  Shag  had  packed  on  his 
horns  for  him.  The  next  day  they 
trailed  again  toward  the  Northland. 

When  they  came  to  a  river  that  was 
to  be  forded  Shag  carried  the  Dog-Wolf 
on  his  back;  when  there  was  presence 
of  danger,  a  suspicious  horseman,  Shag 
curled  up  like  a  boulder,  or  crouched  in 
a  coulee,  and  if  the  Man  came  too  near 
A'tim  led  him  away  on  a  hopeless  chase. 
Daily  the  Dog-Wolf  grew  into  the  heart 
of  Shag,  the  Buffalo,  who  listened  with 
eager  delight  to  his  tales  of  the  North 
land. 

A'tim  had  fared  well  while  the  meat 
lasted  ;  but  they  were  now  in  a  land  of 
much  hunger — a  land  almost  devoid  of 
life  ;  and  the  Dog- Wolf  was  coming 
again  into  the  chronic  state  of  his  exist 
ence — famine. 

56 


The   Outcasts 


As  they  trailed  Northward  the  grass 
grew  richer  and  softer  and  more  lus 
cious;  Shag  commenced  to  put  on  fat. 
But  daily  the  Dog-Wolf 'grew  hungrier 
and  thinner.  In  the  vast  solitude,  walled 
on  every  side  by  the  never-ending  sky 
from  which  the  stars  peeped  at  night 
and  the  sun  smiled  by  day,  there  was 
little  for  the  Dog- Wolf,  who  was  a  flesh- 
eater.  Scarce  anything  but  Gophers; 
not  an  Antelope,  nor  a  Mule  Deer,  nor 
a  Black  Tail  had  they  seen  for  days. 
Once  a  Kit  Fox,  the  small,  gray  kind  of 
the  prairie,  waited  tantalizingly  with  his 
nozzle  flat  on  the  turf,  seemingly  asleep, 
until  A'tim  was  within  two  jumps,  then 
he  slipped  nonchalantly  into  his  burrow 
as  though  hehadjustbeen  called  todinner. 
A  froth  of  disappointed  rage  wreathed 
the  hungry  lips  of  the  Dog -Wolf. 
Surely  he  was  in  danger  of  starvation. 
57 


The   Outcasts 


For  two  days  he  lived  on  a  single 
Mole,  unearthed  quite  by  chance  ;  then 
a  Gopher,  stalked  from  behind  the  big 
legs  of  Shag,  saved  him  from  utter  col 
lapse.  Of  a  verity  he  was  living  from 
hand  to  mouth  ;  such  abject  poverty  he 
had  never  known,  not  even  in  the  South 
land  by  the  Blood  Reserve. 

"  Carry  me,  Brother,"  he  said  to  the 
Bull,  "  for  I  am  weak  like  a  new  Pup. 
If  I  could  but  see  a  Trapper's  shack  or 
a  camp,"  he  confided  to  Shag,  as  he 
clung  to  the  Bull's  hump,  "  I  might  find 
something  to  eat — Ghur-r-r !  a  piece  of 
the  Pork  Eating,  or  a  half-picked  bone, 
or  a  Duck  killed  by  the  Fire-stick! 
Even  one  of  my  own  kind,  a  Dog,  would 
I  eat,Fm  that  famished — Great  Bull,  is 
that  not  a  shack?"  he  exclaimed  sud 
denly  as  a  square  building  loomed  on  the 
horizon. 

58 


The   Outcasts 


"  I  think  I  see  it,"  said  the  Bull ; 
"  but  my  eyes  are  no  longer  good  at  a 
great  distance." 

As  they  journeyed  toward  the  object 
Shag  suddenly  stopped  and  gave  a  loud 
bubbling  guffaw. 

"What  are  you  laughing  at,  Bull?" 
demanded  A'tim  angrily. 

"  I,  who  am  an  Outcast  because  of 
my  great  age,  Dog- Wolf,  am  even  now 
a  great  Fool ;  and  so  art  thou,  A'tim,  an 
Outcast  and  a  Fool." 

"  Your  wit  is  like  yourself,  Shag, 
heavy  and  not  too  pleasing.  Pray,  why 
am  I  a  Fool!" 

"  That  is  no  shack,"  answered  the 
Bull;  "it  is  but  a  rock;  there's  a  line 
of  them,  like  a  trail  of  teepees,  for  miles, 
stretching  for  the  length  of  many  a  day's 
march,  running  as  straight  as  the  cough 
of  a  Fire-stick,  all  looking  like  that  one. 
59 


The   Outcasts 


Wie-sah-ke-chack,  who  is  God  of  the 
Animals,  put  them  there  for  the  Buffalo 
to  brush  their  hides  against — a  most 
wise  act." 

With  a  weary  sigh  A'tim  turned  his 
eyes  from  the  deceitful  rock,  and  watched 
furtively  for  the  chance  of  even  a  small 
Kill  as  they  journeyed. 

Day  by  day  Shag  was  eating  of  the 
richer  grass  and  becoming  of  a  great 
corpulency.  Envious  thoughts  com 
menced  to  creep  into  the  mind  of 
A'tim.  Why  should  he  starve  and  be 
come  a  skeleton,  while  this  hulking 
Bull,  to  whom  he  was  acting  as  a  friend 
and  guide,  waxed  fat  in  the  land  that 
was  of  his  finding  ?  Many  times  Shag 
carried  the  Dog-Wolf  on  his  back,  and 
at  night  the  heat  of  his  great  body  kept 
A'tim  warm. 

But  the  vicious  envy  that  was  in  the 
60 


The   Outcasts 


Wolf  mind  of  A'tim  started  a  line  of 
proper  villainy.  Let  the  Bull  grow  fat. 
If  the  worst  came  to  the  worst — if  no 
other  meat  was  to  be  had — when  the 
Frogs,  and  Moles,  and  such  Waterfowl 
as  might  be  surprised  had  failed,  and  his 
very  life  depended  on  food,  would  not 
there  be  much  eating  off  the  body  of 
this  Bull  Buffalo  ?  Therefore  let  him  wax 
fat.  At  first  A'tim  only  thought  of  it 
just  a  little — a  flash-light  of  evil,  like  the 
sting  of  a  serpent  ;  but  daily  it  grew 
stronger.  What  was  Shag  to  him?  He 
was  not  of  his  kind.  If,  when  they  came 
to  the  Northland,  to  the  forests  of  the 
Athabasca,  the  Wapoos  were  in  the  year 
of  plague,  and  all  other  animals  had  fled 
the  boundaries  because  of  this,  and  there 
was  no  food  to  be  had,  why  should  he 
not  feast  for  days  and  days  off  the  Buf 
falo  ? — that  is,  if  anything  happened  to 
61 


The   Outcasts 


Shag.  Something  might  happen  to  him 
very  easily.  A'tim  knew  of  many  mus 
kegs  where  a  stupid,  heavy-footed  Bull 
might  be  mired ;  also,  there  was  the 
poison  plant,  the  Death  Flower  of  the 
Monkshood.  He  could  persuade  the 
stupid  Shag  to  eat  of  it,  and  in  an  hour 
the  Bull  would  die — puffed  up  like  a 
Cow's  udder ;  it  would  not  hurt  the 
flesh.  Eu-h-h  !  there  were  many  ways. 
Shag's  company  was  good — he  was  weary 
of  being  alone ;  it  was  dreadful  to  be  an 
Outcast;  but  rather  than  starve  to  death 
— well,  he  would  eat  his  friend. 

What  matter  to  him  the  ever-increas 
ing  beauty  of  the  landscape,  the  richer 
growth  that  appealed  strongly  to  his 
companion  from  the  bare  Southern  plain  ? 
The  wild  rose  bushes,  red-berried  in  the 
autumn  of  their  fruitage,  caressed  their 
ankles  as  they  passed;  pink  and  white 
62 


The   Outcasts 


berries  clung  to  silver-leafed  Buffalo  wil 
low  like  rose-tinted  snowflakes  ;  hazel 
and  wild  cherry  and  gentle  maple  swayed 
in  the  prairie  wind,  and  sent  fluttering 
leaf-kisses  to  the  parent  earth.  Great 
patches  of  feed-land  waved  silver  gray 
with  a  tasseled  spread  of  seeding  grasses. 
Oh !  but  they  were  coming  into  a  land 
of  much  growth.  Shag  the  Bull  lowed 
in  soft  content  as  he  rested  full-bellied 
on  the  black-loamed  prairie.  All  the 
time  A'tim  was  but  thinking  of  some 
thing  to  kill,  something  to  eat. 

That  was  as  they  came  to  Egg  Lake. 

"  Trail  slowly,  kind  Brother,"  admon 
ished  the  Dog- Wolf.  "It  is  now  the 
season  of  many  Ducks  here,  even  at  Egg 
Lake ;  perchance  in  the  reed  grass  yon 
der,  by  the  willows,  I  may  stalk  a  Wavey, 
or  even  a  Goose."  Ghur-r-r!  but  he 
was  hungry ! 

63 


The   Outcasts 


A'tim  stole  on  in  front;  flat  to  the 
grass  his  belly,  and  low  his  head.  As 
silently  as  floating  foam  on  still  water  he 
passed  into  the  thicket  of  reed  grass,  his 
fierce  eyes  fixed  on  four  Mallard  that 
gabbled  and  dove  their  supple  heads  to 
the  mud  bottom  for  wild  rice.  Only  a 
little  farther  and  A'tim  would  be  upon 
them.  Shag  was  watching  solicitously 
the  stalk  of  his  friend. 

Suddenly,  and  without  provocation, 
the  lake  seemed  to  stand  up  on  end 
and  commence  throwing  things  about. 
The  Bull  was  startled — what  did  it  all 
mean?  Gradually  something  huge  and 
black  began  to  take  shape  and  form 
from  amidst  the  whirl  of  many  mov 
ing  things. 

"A  Bear!  "  gasped  Shag.  "  By  the 
strength  of  my  neck  he  means  to  devour 
A'tim!" 

64 


The   Outcasts 


With  a  rushing  charge  Shag  was  upon 
the  fighters — only  just  in  time,  for 
Muskwa  had  A'tim  in  his  long-clawed 
grasp,  and  in  another  instant  would  have 
crushed  his  Dog  ribs.  And  in  the  suc 
cession  of  surprises  one  came  to  Muskwa 
with  vivid  suddenness,  for  he  was  lifted 
on  a  pair  of  strong  horns,  like  a  Cub, 
and  thrown  with  great  speed  far  out 
into  the  thin  waters  of  the  lake. 

"Thanks,  Great  Bull/'  panted  the 
frightened  Dog- Wolf,  creeping  pain 
fully  from  the  thick  sedge  grass.  "  He 
also  was  after  the  ducks,  I  think ;  I 
walked  right  on  top  of  him,  I  was  that 
busy  with  my  hunt/' 

"  If  I  had  not  been  in  such  a  blun 
dering  hurry,"  lamented  Shag,  "  I 
might  have  saved  him  for  your  eating  ; 
but  he's  gone  now." 

And  so  they  journeyed  till  they  came 
65 


The   Outcasts 


to  Battle  River.  There  A'tirn  caught 
three  frogs  among  the  blossom-topped 
leeks  ;  they  were  no  more  than  three 
small  oysters  to  a  hungry  man. 

"The  water  is  deep  and  the  banks 
steep/'  grunted  Shag,  looking  dubiously 
at  the  stream. 

"  Lower  down  is  a  ford,"  answered 
A'tim ;  "  we  will  cross  there."  For 
when  Shag  swam  in  deep  water  the 
Dog- Wolf  found  it  difficult  to  keep  on 
his  back. 

"  A  teepee  !  "  exclaimed  A'tim,  as 
they  came  close  to  the  crossing. 

"  Let  us  go  back  and  swim  the 
river,"  pleaded  Shag  ;  "  there  will  be 
hunters  within  the  lodge." 

"No,  wait  you  here,"  commanded 
A'tim ;  "  there  will  surely  be  food  in 
the  teepee,  and  I  mean  to  have  it." 

"  Be  careful,"  warned  Shag;  "  this  is 
66 


MUSKWA   HAD   A'TIM   IN   HIS    LONG-CLAWED   GRASP, 


The   Outcasts 


a  land  of  scarcity,  and  the  hunters  may 
bring  us  evil." 

But  already  A' tirn  was  skulking  toward 
a  small  canvas  tent,  gleaming  white  beside 
the  blue  waters  of  Battle  River.  The  Bull 
lay  down  to  conceal  his  great  bulk,  and 
watched  apprehensively  the  foray  of  his 
pillaging  comrade.  A'tim  circled  until 
he  was  down  wind  from  the  teepee. 

"  The  Man  is  not  in  his  burrow,"  he 
muttered,  sniffing  the  air  that  floated  from 
the  tent  to  his  sensitive  nostrils ;  "  but  I 
smell  the  brown  Pork  Meat  they  eat." 

Cautiously,  stealthily,  burying  his 
brown-gray  body  in  the  river  grass,  he 
stole  to  the  very  tent  pegs  of  the  can 
vas  shelter ;  there  he  listened,  as  still 
and  silent  as  the  river  stones.  There 
was  no  sound  within ;  no  living  thing 
even  drew  breath  beyond  the  cotton 
wall — he  could  have  heard  that. 
67 


The  Outcasts 


In  through  the  flap  he  slipped.  Yes, 
his  scouting  had  been  perfect.  A  pair 
of  blankets,  an  iron  fry-pan,  and — ah  ! 
there  was  the  rich  brown  meat,  its 
white  edge  gleaming  a  welcome.  With 
a  famished  snarl  A'tim  fastened  his  lean 
jaws  upon  it,  and  sprang  for  the  door. 
He  was  none  too  quick.  "  Thud, 
thudety-thud,  thudety-thudety-thud  !  " 
a  horseman  was  hammering  down  the 
sloping  bank  across  the  ford. 

As  A'tim  leaped  from  the  tent  the 
horseman  shouted  and  drove  big  rowel 
spurs  hard  up  the  flank  of  his  galloping 
Cayuse. 

"Just  my  evil  chance!'3  snarled 
A'tim  as  he  headed  for  Shag ;  "  but 
what  is  a  small  piece  of  Bacon  com 
pared  with  a  big  Buffalo?"  For  into 
his  quick  Wolf  brain  came  the  safety 
thought  that  should  the  pursuing  hunter 
68 


The   Outcasts 


sight  Shag  he  would  follow,  and  let  the 
bacon  go. 

As  the  Man  galloped  he  unslung  a 
gun,  and  fired  at  the  fleeing  Dog-Wolf. 
A  little  sputter  of  dust  drove  into  the 
nostrils  of  A'tirn  as  a  trade  ball  spat  in 
his  face  and  buried  itself  in  front  of 
him.  There  was  no  second  shot ;  only 
the  "  thudety-thud  "  of  the  Pony's  hoofs. 
The  pursuer  was  armed  with  a  muzzle- 
loading  trade  musket. 

The  shot  startled  Shag.  Now  he 
could  see  them  rushing  his  way  ;  soon 
they  would  be  upon  him.  With  a  bel 
low  of  frightened  rage  at  the  stupidity 
of  A'tim,  he  stuck  his  scraggy  tail 
out  with  its  tip  curled  over  his  back, 
and  broke  into  a  solemn  gallop. 

In  an  instant  the  hunter  swerved  from 
his  course  and  raced  for  the  Bull,  load 
ing  his  gun  as  the  Cayuse  swung  along 
69 


The   Outcasts 


under  a  free  rein.  Shag  chuckled  softly 
as  he  spread  his  great  quarters,  and 
hung  his  nose  closer  to  earth. 

"It's  a  down  trail  for  miles/'  he 
muttered,  "  and  I,  who  in  my  prime 
have  outrun  the  fastest  Buffalo  Horses 
of  the  Bloods  and  Blackfeet,  can  surely 
show  that  lean-flanked  Pack  Animal  a 
long  trail.  Mou-o-o-h !  but  already  I 
feel  in  my  veins  the  strength  of  this 
rich  feeding."  And  the  huge  form 
slipped  down  the  gentle  grade  of  slop 
ing  plain  like  an  express  train.  Once 
the  hunter  threw  the  butt  of  his  musket 
to  shoulder  and  fired;  but  half  the 
powder  charge  had  spilled  in  the  rest 
less  loading,  and  the  trade  ball  wan 
dered  aimlessly  yards  wide  of  the  flee 
ing  Bull.  Shag  grunted  and  kinked 
his  tail  derisively  as  the  spirit  of  old 
times  threw  its  glamor  over  him.  It 

7° 


The   Outcasts 


was  years  since  he  had  been  thought 
worthy  of  the  chase  ;  surely  he  was  be 
coming  of  some  account  in  the  Buffalo 
world  again. 

A'tim,  sitting  on  his  haunches, 
watched  the  departing  cavalcade,  and 
industriously  absorbed  much  of  the  fat 
pork.  "  I  can  carry  it  better  in  my 
stomach,"  he  reasoned  philosophically. 
"But  who  would  have  thought  old 
Shag  had  it  in  him?"  he  muttered  in 
admiration. 

As  he  gazed,  the  extent  of  territory 
between  Shag  and  his  pursuer  widened 
perceptibly.  The  overworked  Pony 
was  tired ;  no  doubt  his  rider  had  trailed 
for  many  a  league  with  him,  and  he  was 
in  no  condition  for  the  fierce  gallop  of 
a  Buffalo  Run. 

A'tim  finished  the  bacon   with    un 
doubted  relish,  then  struck  out  across 
the  boundless  field  of  grass.      "  I  must 
71 


The   Outcasts 


not  lose  sight  of  Shag/'  he  thought ; 
"  there  will  not  always  be  bacon  for  the 
stealing  when  I  am  on  the  edge  of 
starvation.'' 

At  last  the  Pony  was  pulled  to  a 
walk,  turned  about,  and  headed  for  the 
teepee  that  nestled  on  the  river  bank. 
The  rider  was  indulging  in  much  in 
judicious  vituperation  of  all  the  animal 
kingdom,  including  his  own  well-blown 
Cayuse,  whose  trembling  flanks  vouched 
for  the  energy  with  which  he  had  tried 
to  overhaul  the  galloping  Bull. 

A'tim  circled  wide,  and,  when  he 
considered  it  safe,  fell  into  Shag's  trail 
and  followed  on.  Soon  he  overtook  his 
comrade.  "  Well  done,  my  big  Bull !" 
he  exclaimed ;  "  that  was  a  rare  turn 
you  did  me." 

"It  was,"  answered  Shag  shortly; 
"  hardly  of  my  own  choosing,  though  ; 
you  thrust  it  upon  me.  I  suppose  you 
72 


The   Outcasts 


were  bringing  me  the  bacon,  kind 
Brother?" 

"  I  knew  you  could  do  it,"  flattered 
A'tim.  "  You  have  the  full  speed  of  a 
Spike  Horn,  and  the  great  wisdom  of 
your  own  age." 

Shag  said  nothing  ;  he  was  angry  at 
the  selfish  heartlessness  of  the  other 
Outcast.  It  seemed  hardly  a  fair 
recognition  of  the  service  he  had  ren 
dered  the  Dog-Wolf  when  he  prodded 
the  Bear  from  his  throat. 

"  Come,  let  us  be  moving,"  he  said; 
"we  must  find  another  crossing." 

"  Oh !  but  I  feel  years  younger," 
cried  A'tim  joyfully,  as  they  headed 
again  for  Battle  River.  "  Euh-euh- 
euh-euh  !  Yap-yap-yap  !  "  he  laughed  ; 
"  this  eating  has  put  the  joyousness  of 
a  Pup  into  my  heart." 

That  night  they  crossed  the  river  at 
another  ford,  and  slept  in  a  bluff"  of  slim- 

73 


The   Outcasts 


bodied  white  poplars,  for  they  were  on 
the  edge  of  the  North  timber  lands. 

"  This  is  good  cover/'  muttered  A'tim, 
as  he  raked  the  yellow  heart-shaped 
leaves  of  the  poplar  together  for  a  bed. 

"  It's  new  to  me/'  muttered  Shag; 
"and  it  will  also  give  cover  to  one's 
enemies ;  one  must  be  very  cautious  in 
the  Northland,  I  think/' 

Then  the  two  Outcasts  slept  to 
gether  on  the  border  of  the  North 
fairyland  to  which  the  Dog-Wolf  was 
leading  Shag  the  Bull. 


'-CHAPTER  TOUR 


IN  the  morning  A'tim  had  for  his 
breakfast  a  wistful   remembrance 
of    the    yesterday's    eating — that 
was   all ;    while    Shag    made  a    frugal 
meal  off  the  bronzed  grass,  fast  curing 
on  its  stem  for  the  winter  forage. 

"  There'll  be  good  eating  here  for 
the  Grass  Feeders,"  he  said,  grinding 
leisurely  at  the  wild  hay. 

"  Indeed  there  will,"  answered  the 
Dog-Wolf.  "  The  Grass  Feeders  will 
wax  fat  for  the  benefit  of  the  Meat  Eat 
ers.  I  wish  one  would  come  my  way 
now,"  he  sighed  hungrily. 

"  We  are  almost  half  way,"  contin 
ued  A'tim,  as  he  trotted  beside  the  long- 
striding  Bull. 

75 


The   Outcasts 


"  Fm  glad  of  that,  Brother.  My  foot 
joints  are  not  so  well  oiled  as  they  once 
were,  and  are  getting  hot  and  dry. 
Strange  that  we  should  not  see  some  of 
our  cousins,  is  it  not,  Dog- Wolf  ?" 

"  I  saw  one  yesterday/'  replied  A'tirn. 

"  Aye,  Brother,  and  he  saw  you,  too." 

"  Else  I  had  eaten  him,"  added  the 
Dog-Wolf. 

"A  Coyote?"  asked  Shag  incredu 
lously;  "eat  a  Coyote?  Impossible! 
No  animal  ever  ate  a  Coyote  ! " 

"  No  animal  was  ever  so  hungry  as  I 
was  yesterday  before  Wie-sah-ke  led  me 
to  the  Fat  Bacon." 

"  It's  tecribly  dreary,"  said  Shag,  re 
turning  again  to  his  first  thought ;  "  no 
Elk,  no  Antelope,  no  Buffalo,  no  Indian 
Cayuse.  Why  is  it?  Has  Man  killed 
them  all  off,  as  he  has  done  with  my 
people?" 

76 


The   Outcasts 


"  Yes,  Man,  and  the  Man-fire.  From 
the  black  that  is  underneath  this  new 
grass  I  know  that  last  year  the  Man-fire 
swept  over  this  land  faster  and  straighter 
than  a  Wolf  Pack  gallops-  -" 

Suddenly  he  broke  off  and  made  a 
fierce  rush  into  the  prairie.  A  brown 
Cow-Bird  flew  up  and  lighted  on  Shag's 
horn.  The  Dog-Wolf  rose  on  his  hind 
legs  and  snapped  viciously  at  the  Bird. 

"  Steady,  Dog- Wolf,  steady/'  admon 
ished  Shag,  "this  is  a  friend  of  mine. 
Do  you  not  know  the  Cow-Bird,  who 
is  always  with  the  Herd?" 

"Who  is  your  friend?"  asked  the 
Cow-Bird  of  Shag.  "  Queer  company 
you  keep,  Great  Bull ;  a  Herd  Leader 
leading  a  Wolf  is  new  to  me." 

"I'm  no  Wolf,  Scavenger!"  re 
torted  A'tim.  "I'm  a  Dog;  I'll  crack 
your " 

77 


The   Outcasts 


"  Perhaps,  perhaps/*  retorted  the  Cow- 
Bird. 

"Perhaps  what?"  snarled  A'tim. 

"  Perhaps  you're  a  Dog,  and  perhaps 
you  will  crack  my — neck,  you  were  go 
ing  to  say.  Are  you  leading  the  Bull 
to  your  Wolf  Pack,  perhaps — Dog?" 

"  Never  mind,  Comrades,"  interrupted 
Shag.  "  We  are  glad  of  your  company, 
little  Cow-Bird — are  we  not,  A'tim?" 

"  Yes,"  answered  the  Dog- Wolf,  lick 
ing  his  chops,  and  looking  treacherously 
from  the  corner  of  his  slit  eyes  at  the 
Bird. 

"  Where  are  you  going,  Great  Bull?" 
asked  the  Cow-Bird,  spreading  his  deep- 
brown  wings  mockingly,  as  though  he 
would  fly  down  on  the  Dog- Wolf  s  head. 

"To  the  Northland." 

"I  know,"  quoth  the  Bird;  "but  I 
stick  to  the  plains ;  why,  I  don't  know, 
78 


STEADY,  DOG-WOLF,  STEADY,"   ADMONISHED  SHAG,  "  THIS  IS  A 
FRIEND  OF  MINE." 


The   Outcasts 


for  there  are  few  Buffalo  now.  This 
summer  I  made  a  long  trip.  I  started 
in  at  Edmonton  with  a  Herd  of  the 
Man's  Buffalo." 

"I've  seen  them,"  said  Shag;  " great 
clumsy  things  without  shape  or  make; 
as  big  behind  as  they  are  in  front ;  of  a 
verity  the  shape  of  their  own  carts." 

"Well,"  continued  the  Bird,  "there 
was  a  matter  of  a  dozen  of  these  crea 
tures  tied  to  a  four-wheeled  cart,  and  I 
followed  the  Herd  through  to  the  place 
they  call  Fort  Garry.  But  I  got  tired 
of  it — day  after  day  the  same  thing. 
What  I  like  is  to  fly  about.  Now,  I'll 
travel  with  you  to-day,  just  for  compan 
ionship,  and  to-morrow  I  shall  be  off 
with  some  new  friend." 

"  Perhaps,"  mumbled  the  Wolf. 

"  Did  you  speak,  Wolf?"  perked  the 
Bird. 

79 


The  Outcasts 


"  I  said,  '  Good  riddance/"  3>  snapped 
A'tim. 

"He,  he,  he!"  laughed  the  Cow- 
Bird;  "your  friend  is  pleasant  company, 
Great  Bull." 

That  night  the  two  Outcasts  and  the 
Cow-Bird  camped  together,  near  the 
Saskatchewan  River;  the  brown  body 
curled  up  contentedly  on  Shag's  horn, 
while  the  Dog-Wolf  slept  against  his 
paunch. 

In  the  morning  the  Cow-Bird  was 
gone. 

"Have  you  seen  him?"  Shag  asked 
of  A'tim.  4 

"  He  flew  away  early,"  answered  the 
Dog-Wolf. 

"  He  should  have  taken  all  his  coat 
with  him,"    answered  Shag,    thrusting 
from  his  mouth  a  bunch  of  grass  in  which 
were  three  brown  feathers. 
80 


The   Outcasts 


"  He  flew  far  away,"  affirmed  A'tim 
sheepishly. 

"The  length  of  your  gullet,  Dog- 
Wolf,"  declared  Shag.  "Thou  must  be 
wondrous  hungry  to  eat  one  of  our  own 
party — a  cannibal." 

A'tim  answered  nothing  as  they  jour 
neyed  down  along  the  steep,  heavily 
wooded  river  bank,  its  soft  shale  sides  slid 
into  mighty  terraces,  but  in  his  heart  was 
a  murder  thought,  as  he  eyed  the  great 
bulk  of  his  Brother  Outcast,  that  he 
would  also  eat  him. 

They  passed  over  the  broad  Saskat 
chewan,  running  emerald  green  between 
its  high,  pink-earthed  banks,  through  a 
long,  tortuous  ford,  taking  Shag  to  the 
belly  and  half  way  up  his  ribs.  As  they 
topped  the  north  bank  and  rested  after 
the  steep  climb,  A'tim  pointed  his  nose 
to  a  distant  flat  where  nestled  the  white 
81 


The   Outcasts 


stockaded  fort  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com 
pany. 

"That's  Fort  Edmonton,"  he  said 
bitterly ;  "  and  see  the  cluster  of  teepees 
all  about,  thick  as  Muskrat  lodges  in  a 
muskeg.  Because  of  the  dwellers  within 
there  is  no  eating  to  be  had  here  for 
me.  Cree  Indians,  and  Half-breeds,  and 
Palefaces,  all  searching  the  country  for 
something  to  kill ;  and  when  they  have 
slaughtered  the  Beaver,  and  Marten,  and 
Foxes,  and  everyting  else  that  has  life, 
they  bring  the  pelts  there  and  get  fire 
water,  which  burns  their  stomachs  and 
sets  their  brains  on  fire.  An  honest 
hunter  like  myself,  who  only  kills  to  stay 
the  hunger  that  is  bred  in  him,  has  no 
chance ;  we  must  sneak  and  steal,  or  die." 

"  But  there  will  be  much  waste  of 
the  Bacon  Food  there,  surely,  A'tim. 
Why  do  you  not  replenish  the  stomach 
82 


The   Outcasts 


that  is  but  a  curse  to  you,  being  empty, 
at  the  lodges  we  see?" 

"  No,  friend  Bull,"  answered  the 
Dog-Wolf;  "unwittingly  enough  I 
nearly  caused  you  disaster  the  last  time 
I  fed  at  Man's  expense.  That  time  there 
was  but  one  hunter ;  here  are  many,  and 
they  would  slay  you  quick  enough." 

This  was  all  a  lie;  the  Dog-Wolf  had 
no  such  consideration  for  his  Brother 
Outcast.  At  the  Fort  were  fierce-fanged 
hounds  that  would  run  him  to  earth  of 
a  certainty  should  he  venture  near ; 
either  that,  or  if  caught  he  would  be 
quickly  clapped  into  a  Dog  Train,  and 
made  to  push  against  a  collar.  Many  a 
weary  day  of  that  he  had  in  his  youth ; 
he  would  rather  starve  as  a  vagabond. 
Also,  would  he  not  perhaps  fall  heir  to 
the  eating  that  was  on  the  body  of  the 
huge  Bull? 

83 


The   Outcasts 


"No,  Brother,"  he  said  decisively; 
"  we  shall  soon  come  to  a  land  with 
food  for  both  of  us;  let  us  go." 

Toward  the  Athabasca  they  journeyed. 
The  prairie  was  almost  done  with,  only 
patches  of  it  now  like  fields  ;  poplar  and 
willow  and  birch  growing  everywhere ; 
and  beyond  the  Sturgeon  River,  tiny  for 
ests  of  gnarled,  stunted  jack-pine,  creep 
ing  wearily  from  a  soft  carpet  of  silver 
and  emerald  moss  which  lay  thick  upon 
the  white  sand  hills.  Little  red  berries, 
like  blood  stars,  peeped  at  them  from 
the  setting  of  silk  lace  moss — winter- 
green  berries,  and  grouse  berries,  and 
lowbush  cranberries,  all  blushing  a  fu 
rious  red. 

"  I  could  sleep  here  forever,"  mut 
tered  Shag,  as  he  rolled  in  luxurious 
content  on  this  forest  rug. 

"  I  can't  sleep  because  of  my  hunger 
84 


The   Outcasts 


pains,"  snarled  A'tim.  "  You  who  are 
well  fed  care  not  how  I  fare."  A'tim 
was  petulantly  unreasonable. 

Shag  looked  at  the  Dog-Wolf  won- 
deringly.  "I'm  sorry  for  you,  for  your 
hunger,  Dog  Brother.  Did  I  not  call 
lovingly  to  a  Moose  Calf  but  to-day, 
thinking  to  entice  him  your  way?" 

"Yes,  and  frightened  the  big-nosed, 
spindle-legged  suckling  with  your  gruff 
voice,  so  that  what  should  have  been  an 
easy  stalk  turned  out  a  long  chase  for 
nothing." 

"Well,  well,"  responded  Shag  sooth 
ingly,  "  no  doubt  you  will  soon  have 
food — this  can't  go  on  forever,  this  bar 
renness  of  the  woods;  I'm  sorry  for 
you,  for  once  I  had  nothing  to  eat  for 
days  and  days.  That  was  ten  seasons 
of  the  Calf-gathering  since — I  remem 
ber  it  well.  The  White  Storm  came 
85 


The   Outcasts 


in  the  early  Cold  Time,  and  buried  the 
whole  Range  to  the  depth  of  my  belly. 
We  Buffalo  did  nothing  but  drift,  drift, 
drift — like  locusts,  or  dust  before  the 
wind.  We  always  go  head-on  to  a 
storm,  for  our  heads  are  warm  clothed 
with  much  hair,  but  when  it  lasts  for 
days  and  days  we  grow  weary,  and  just 
drift  looking  for  food,  for  grass.  I  re 
member,  at  Pot  Hole,  which  is  a  deep 
coulee,  and  has  always  been  a  great 
shelter  to  us  in  such  times,  on  one  side 
was  some  grass  still  bare  of  the  White 
Storm ;  but  the  Buffalo  were  so  many 
they  ate  it  as  locusts  might — quicker 
than  I  tell  it.  As  I  have  said,  Dog- 
Wolf,  I  lived  for  a  month  off  the  fat 
that  was  in  my  loins  about  the  kidneys, 
for  I  had  never  a  bite  to  eat.  Then 
the  fat,  aye,  even  the  red  meat,  com 
menced  to  melt  from  my  hump  and  my 
86 


The   Outcasts 


neck,  even  to  my  legs,  and  I  grew 
weak — so  weak  I  could  hardly  crawl. 
Many  of  us  died ;  first  the  Cow  Moth 
ers,  giving  up  their  lives  for  the  Calves, 
A'tim;  then  the  old  people;  we  who 
were  in  the  middle  of  life  (for  I  was  a 
Smooth  Horn  then,  Brother,  and  Leader 
of  the  Herd)  lived  through  this  ter 
rible  time. 

"  It  was  a  great  weeding  out  of  the 
Herd  ;  it  was  like  the  sweep  of  the  fire 
breath  that  bares  the  prairie  only  to 
make  the  grass  come  up  stronger  and 
sweeter  again.  Longingly  we  waited 
for  our  friend,  the  gentle  Chinook,  to 
come  up  out  of  the  Southwest ;  but  this 
time  it  must  have  got  lost  in  the  moun 
tains,  for  only  the  South  wind,  which  is 
always  cold,  or  a  blizzard  breath  from 
the  Northwest  blew  across  the  bleak, 
white-covered  Buffalo  land. 
87 


The   Outcasts 


"One night,  just  as  I  thought  I  must 
surely  die  before  morning,  a  sweet 
moisture  came  into  my  nostrils,  and  I 
knew  that  our  Wind  Brother,  the 
Chinook,  had  found  us  at  last.  The 
sun  smiled  at  us  in  the  morning  and 
warmed  the  white  cover,  and  by  night 
we  could  see  the  grass  ;  next  day  the 
White  Storm  was  all  gone.  So,  Brother 
Outcast,  I  too,  know  what  it  is  to  be 
hungry.  Have  a  strong  heart — food 
will  be  sent." 

"Sent!"  snapped  A'tim  crabbedly; 
"  who  will  send  it  ?  Will  my  Gray  Half- 
Brothers,  who  are  Wolves,  send  it — 
come  and  lay  a  dead  Caribou  at  my 
feet?  Will  the  Train  Dogs,  of  whose 
kind  I  am,  come  and  feed  me  with 
White  Fish — the  dried  Fish  their  driv 
ers  give  them  so  sparingly?" 

"  I  cannot  say,  Dog- Wolf ;  but  surely 
88 


The   Outcasts 


food  does  not  come  of  one's  own  think 
ing.  The  grass  does  not  grow  because 
of  me,  but  for  me.  The  Animals  all 
say  it  is  our  God,  Wie-sah-ke-chack, 
who  sends  the  eating." 

"  E-u-h-h  !  "  yawned  A'tim  sulkily, 
swinging  his  head  in  petulant  irrita 
tion,  "  I  must  have  meat,  no  matter 
where  it  comes  from;  I  can't  starve." 
There  was  a  covert  threat  in  the  Dog- 
Woll's  voice,  but  Shag  did  not  notice 
it — his  mind  was  above  that  sort  of 
thing. 

In  the  evening,  as  they  entered  a  lit 
tle  thicket  of  dogberry  bushes  growing 
in  low  land,  a  small  brown  shadow 
flitted  across  their  path.  With  a  snarl 
A'tim  was  after  it,  crushing  through 
the  long,  dry,  spike-like  grass  in  hot 
pursuit.  Shag  waited. 

Back  and  forth,  up  and  down,  in  and 
89 


The   Outcasts 


out,  double  and  twist,  sometimes  near 
and  sometimes  far,  but  always  with  the 
"  Ghur-r-r  !  "  of  the  Dog- Wolf  s  breath 
coming  to  Shag's  ears,  the  shadow  and 
its  pursuer  chased.  Suddenly  Shag 
started  as  a  plaintive  squeak  died  away 
in  a  harsh  growl  of  exultation. 

"  He  has  him/'  muttered  Shag ; 
"  this  will  stay  the  clamor  of  his  hunger 
talk,  I  hope." 

The  well-blown  Dog-Wolf  came 
back  carrying  a  Hare.  "  Hardly  worth 
the  trouble,"  he  said  disdainfully,  lay 
ing  the  fluffy  figure  down  at  Shag's  feet. 
"  Now  I  know  of  a  surety  why  the 
Flesh  Feeders  have  fled  the  Boundaries ; 
it  is  the  Plague  Year  of  Wapoos.  This 
thing  that  should  be  fat,  and  of  tender 
juiciness,  is  but  a  skin  full  of  bones; 
there  are  even  the  plague  lumps  in  his 
throat.  There  is  almost  as  much  poi- 
90 


The   Outcasts 


son  in  this  carrion  as  in  a  Trapper's 
bait;  but  I  must  eat  of  it,  for  I  am 
wondrous  hungry." 

"I,  also,  have  eaten  bad  food  in  my 
time,"  said  Shag  ;  "  great  pains  in  the 
stomach  I've  had  from  it.  Some  sea 
sons  the  White  Storm  would  come 
early  in  the  Cold  Time,  and  cover  the 
grass  not  yet  fully  ripened  into  seed.  It 
would  hold  warm  because  of  this,  and 
grow  again,  and  become  green  ;  then 
the  white  cover  would  go,  and  the 
grass  would  freeze  and  become  sour  to 
the  tongue.  Mou-u-ah  !  but  all  through 
the  Cold  Time  I  would  have  great 
pains.  How  far  do  we  go  now,  A'tim, 
till  we  rest  in  the  Northland?" 

"  Till   there  is  food  for  both  of  us." 
"  Quite  true,"  concurred  Shag.    "We 
must  go  on  until  you  also  have  food,  my 
friend." 

91 


The   Outcasts 


It  was  coining  up  the  bank  out  of 
La  Biche  River  that  A'tim,  perfectly 
mad  with  hunger,  made  a  vicious  snap 
at  the  Bull's  leg,  just  above  the  hock, 
meaning  to  hamstring  him.  Shag  flip 
ped  about  and  faced  the  Dog  Wolf. 

"What  is  this,  A'tim  ? "  he  de 
manded,  lowering  his  horns  and  stamp 
ing  in  vexed  restlessness. 

"  A  big  fly  of  the  Bull-Dog  kind.  I 
snapped  at  him,  and  in  my  eagerness 
grazed  your  leg." 

Shag  tossed  his  huge  head  unbeliev 
ingly,  and  snorted  through  his  dilated 
nostrils.  "  There  are  no  Bull-Dogs 
now,  A'tim  ;  they  were  killed  off  days 
since  by  the  white-striped  Hornets." 

"  There  was  one,  Shag —  at  least  I 
thought  so,  Great  Bull." 

"  Well,  don't  think  again — -just  that 
way.  Once  bitten  is  twice  shy  with 
92 


The   Outcasts 


me  ;  and,  as  you  see,  I  carry  the  Tribe 
mark  of  your  Wolf-kind  in  my  thigh 
since  the  time  I  was  a  Calf." 

"  Ghur-r-r !  Of  the  Wolf-kind,  quite 
true,  Great  Bull — that  is  their  way ; 
but  I,  who  am  no  Wolf,  but  a  Dog,  do 
not  seek  to  hamstring  my  friends/' 

The  Bull  answered  nothing,  but  as 
they  journeyed  watched  his  companion 
carefully. 

"  Dreadfully  foolish  !  "  mused  A'tim. 
"  I  must  coax  this  stupid  Bull  into  a 
muskeg  ;  his  big  carcass  will  keep  me 
alive  through  all  the  Cold  Time/' 


THEY    were    now    well    within 
the  treacherous  muskeg  lands 
which  border  the  Athabasca  ; 
and  that  very  night,  while  Shag  slum 
bered  in   the  deep  sleep  of  a  full  age, 
A'tim,  whose  lean    stomach  tugged  at 
his  eyelids  and  kept  them  open,  stole 
off  into  the  forest,  and  searched  by  the 
strong  light  of  the  moon  for  a  bog  that 
would  mire  his  comrade  to  death. 

An  open  piece  of  swamp  land,  fringed 
by  tamarack  and  slim-bodied  spruce, 
promised  fair  for  his  scheme.  Back  and 
forth,  back  and  forth  over  its  cushion 
of  deep  moss  he  passed,  seeking  for  a 
94 


The   Outcasts 


treacherous  place — a  place  wherein  Shag 
would  sink  to  the  belly;  where  the 
sand-mud  would  grasp  his  legs  like 
soft  chains  and  hold  him  to  his  death, 
but  not  engulf  the  body — that  must 
remain  for  A'tim's  eating. 

"  Euh-h  !  the  very  thing!"  he  ex 
claimed  joyously,  as  his  foot  sank  deep 
in  soft  slime.  "  Yes,  indeed,  the  very 
spot.  Now  must  I  cover  up  its  black 
mud  so  that  the  blurred  eyes  of  old  Shag 
will  see  only  a  fair  trail,  not  over  ankle- 
deep." 

For  an  hour  he  labored  with  rare 
villainy,  carrying  bunches  of  moss  to 
cover  up  the  black  ooze,  that  was  not 
more  than  twenty  feet  broad;  even 
small  willow  wands  and  coarse  rush  grass 
he  placed  under  the  moss,  so  that  he 
himself,  light-footed  as  a  cat,  might  cross 
ahead  of  the  unsuspicious  Bull,  and  lure 
95 


The   Outcasts 


him  to  his  death.  "  There/'  he  said 
finally,  as  he  sat  on  his  haunches  and 
rested  for  a  minute,  looking  like  a  ghoul 
in  the  ghostly  moonlight,  "  I  think  that's 
a  trick  worthy  of  my  Wolf  cunning." 
Then  he  hastened  back  to  the  other 
Outcast. 

Shag  was  awake  and  heard  the  Dog- 
Wolf  creep  to  his  side.  "  Where  have 
you  been,  A'tim?"  he  asked  sleepily. 

"  I  heard  a  strange  noise  in  the  forest, 
and  thought  perhaps  some  evil  Hunter 
had  followed  your  big  trail ;  fearing  for 
your  safety,  Brother,  I  went  to  see  what 
it  was." 

"And?"  queried  Shag. 

"  It  was  nothing — nothing  but  a  Lynx 
or  some  prowling  animal."  Shag  was 
already  snoring  heavily  again,  and  the 
Dog- Wolf,  tired  by  his  exertion,  also 
soon  slumbered. 

96 


The   Outcasts 


Next  morning  A'tim  was  in  rare  good 
humor.  "  We  shall  only  have  another 
day  or  two  of  this  weary  tramp,"  he 
said,  "  for  the  air  is  full  of  the  perfume 
of  living  things  ;  also  things  that  are 
dead,  for  yonder,  high  in  the  air,  float 
three  Birds  of  the  Vulture  kind.  I  shall 
be  in  the  land  of  much  eating  to-day 
or  to-morrow,  I  know." 

"I  am  glad  of  that,"  answered  Shag 
heartily ;  "  I  am  tired  of  this  long  tramp 
— my  bones  ache  from  it." 

Talking  almost  incessantly  to  distract 
the  other's  attention,  A'tim  led  the  way 
straight  for  his  muskeg  trap. 

"  There  is  some  lovely  blue-joint 
grass  on  the  other  side  of  this  beautiful 
little  plain,"  he  said  as  they  came  to  the 
tamarack  border  of  the  swamp. 

"Is  it  safe  crossing?"  asked  Shag. 

"Quite  safe,"  answered  the  Dog- 
97 


The   Outcasts 


Wolf;  "  there  is  not  a  mud  spot  to  be 
seen — you  will  scarce  wet  a  shin.  I 
will  go  ahead  and  warn  you  should  it 
so  happen  that  there  be  a  soft  hole ; 
follow  close  in  my  track/' 

"  Lough-hu  !  lough-hu  !  '  grunted 
the  Bull  at  the  first  step  in  the  muskeg, 
as  his  foot  cushioned  in  the  deep  moss : 
"  this  is  like  walking  on  the  White 
Storm."  Ere  he  could  take  another 
step  a  startled,  "  Mouah  !  Mouah  !  " 
struck  on  his  ear.  It  was  the  call  of 
his  own  kind  ;  and  whipping  about  in 
an  instant,  he  saw,  staring  at  him  from 
the  tamarack  fringe,  a  Buffalo  Cow. 

Where  had  she  come  from  ?  It  was 
the  God  of  Chance  that  had  sent  her 
to  save  the  unsuspicious,  noble  old  Bull, 
only  he  did  not  know  that — how  could 
he  ?  "  Perhaps  she  is  an  Outcast  like 
myself/'  he  muttered,  advancing  eager- 
98 


The   Outcasts 


ly  to  caress  her  forehead  with  his 
tongue. 

"  Come  back,  Shag,"  called  the  Dog- 
Wolf,  seeing  the  destruction  of  his  plan  ; 
"  come  back  to  the  sweet  feeding  ;  that 
is  but  a  disgraced  Cow,  outcasted  from 
some  Herd." 

Startled  by  the  bark  of  the  Dog- Wolf, 
or  perhaps  by  the  ungainly  garb  of  the 
hairless,  manged  Bull,  the  Cow  turned 
and  fled.  Excited  into  activity,  Shag 
galloped  after  her,  his  huge  feet  making 
the  forest  echo  with  the  crack  of  smash 
ing  timber  as  he  slid  through  the  bush 
like  an  avalanche;  but  the  Cow  was 
swift  of  foot,  and  pig-jinked  around 
stumps  and  over  timber,  and  down 
coulees  and  up  hills  until  Shag  was 
fairly  blown  and  forced  to  give  up  the 
pursuit. 

"Was  there  ever  such  a  queer  happen- 
99 


The   Outcasts 


ing?"  exclaimed  Shag,  staring  after  the 
vanished  figure  of  the  Cow.  A'tim  had 
followed  with  eager  gallop,  inwardly 
reviling  the  ill  luck  which  had  snatched 
from  him  the  mighty  Kill  of  the  fat 
Bull.  The  Cow  Buffalo  was,  perhaps, 
only  one  of  those  spirit  animals  that 
prowl  at  night  and  utter  strange  cries. 

Also  had  they  galloped  miles  past 
the  muskeg  trap,  and  A'tim  dared  not 
take  the  Bull  back;  some  new  plan 
must  be  devised  for  his  destruction. 

"Where  did  she  come  from  ?"  puffed 
Shag,  his  froth-covered  tongue  lolling 
from  between  big,  thick  lips ;  "  where 
did  she  come  from,  A'tim,  you  who 
know  the  Northland  forests?" 

"  She's  a  Wood  Buffalo,"  answered 
the  Dog- Wolf. 

"What's  a  Wood  Buffalo?"  asked 
Shag. 

IOO 


The   Outcasts 


"They  are  even  as  yourself,  Great 
Bull ;  driven  from  the  plains  by  the 
many-breathed  Fire-stick,  they  have 
come  to  this  good  Range  of  the  North 
land.  They  go  not  in  Herds,  but  few 
together,  as  Mooswa  and  others  of  the 
forest." 

"  Why  did  she  run  away,  Brother 
A'tim?"  grunted  Shag,  lying  down  to 
rest. 

The  Dog- Wolf  laughed  disagreeably. 
"  That  is  but  the  way  of  the  Cow  kind," 
he  answered. 

"  No,"  said  Shag  decisively ;  "  she  was 
frightened." 

"  She  was,"  assented  A'tim;  "Ghur-r-r! 
I  should  say  so." 

"  At  what  ?"  asked  Shag. 

"  Forgive  me,  Brother,  but  most  as 
suredly  she  was  frightened  by  you." 

"  By  me — am  I  not  of  her  kind?" 

101 


The   Outcasts 


"  Yes,  but  how  should  she  know  ? 
Are  you  like  a  Buffalo,  Shag?  Your 
hide  is  bare  and  scarred,  and  perhaps 
she  took  you  for  some  evil  thing/' 

Shag  looked  ruefully  at  his  great, 
scraggy  sides,  so  like  an  Elephant's,  only 
more  disreputable,  and  sighed  resign 
edly;  "I  suppose  I  can't  help  it,"  he 
muttered. 

"  You  can,  Shag ;  if  you  will  but  eat 
of  the  Fur  Flower  it  will  cure  this  evil 
disease  which  is  in  your  blood,  and 
bring  back  the  beautiful  silk  coat  that 
was  the  envy  of  the  Buffalo  Range." 

"  Do  you  speak  the  truth,  Dog-Wolf?" 
asked  Shag. 

"  Most  surely.  All  the  Dwellers  in 
the  Northland  know  that.  Are  not  all 
the  Forest-Dwellers  full-haired?" 

"  And  this  Fur  Flower,  A'tim  ;  where 
is  it?" 


IO2 


The   Outcasts 


"  Less  than  a  day's  trail/'  answered 
the  Dog-Wolf. 

"Find  it  for  me,  kind  Brother/' 
begged  the  Bull.  "When  one  fright 
ens  those  of  his  own  kind  it  is  time  to 
try  something." 

As  they  plodded  through  the  forest, 
A'tim  muttered :  "  Now  I  shall  surely 
have  this  vain  old  Bull.  The  Death 
Coulee  is  close  to  Porcupine  Water,  and 
that  is  not  far.  Shag  shall  eat  of  the 
Death  Flower,  which  I  have  called  the 
Fur  Flower,  to  improve  his  appearance ; 
and  when  he  is  dead  I  will  eat  of  him 
to  improve  mine." 

A  three  hours'  tramp  and  they  came 
to  a  little  valley  rich  in  bright  yellow 
grass,  topped  by  a  stately  plant  that  nod 
ded  and  rustled  in  the  wind  as  its  many 
seed  pods  swayed  like  strings  of  dark 
pearls.  It  was  the  Monkshood,  the 
103 


The   Outcasts 


deadly  aconite,  which,  when  the  sum 
mer  was  young,  hung  its  helmet  flower 
in  a  shimmering  veil  of  blue  over  the 
sweet  grass  of  the  Death  Valley — the 
valley  known  of  all  animals  as  the  Cou 
lee  of  the  Long  Rest,  for  he  who 
browsed  there  found  his  limbs  bound  in 
the  steel  cords  of  death. 

"There,"  said  A'tim,  nodding  his 
head  at  the  bronze  gold  of  the  many 
Monkshood,  "  there  is  the  Fur  Flower. 
It  will  be  dry  eating  now,  being  of  a 
season's  age,  but  in  the  early  feed-time 
it  is  sweet  and  tender.  While  you  eat 
of  it  I  shall  rest  here." 

A  strong  rustling  of  grass  almost  at 
their  heels  caused  the  Dog-Wolf  to 
spring  to  his  feet  in  alarm. 

"  Eu-h-h,  eu-h-h  !  here  is  the  ac 
cursed  Cow  again.  Where  in  the  name 
of  Forest  Fools  have  you  come  from — 
104 


The   Outcasts 


why    do    you    follow    us?"    exclaimed 
A'tim. 

"  It  is  the  way  of  my  kind/'  she  re 
plied,  "  to  follow  a  Herd  Leader;  there 
is  no  harm  in  that." 

Into  the  big,  sleepy  eyes  of  Shag  crept 
a  pleased  look. 

"Where  go  you,  Great  Bull?"  she 
asked. 

"  To  eat  of  this  Fur  Flower  my  kind 
Brother,  A'tim,  has  told  me  will  bring 
back  my  coat ;  a  soft,  silky  coat  it  was,  too." 

"  Eat  of  that — that  which  is  the 
Death  Grass  growing  in  the  Valley  of 
the  Long  Rest !  You  must  wish  to  die  ; 
our  Herd  Leader,  who  was  even  of  your 
size,  Great  Bull,  ate  of  it,  and  died  like 
a  stricken  Calf." 

"  What  is  this?"  demanded  Shag,  his 
big,  honest  eyes  turned  on   A'tim  with 
a  wondering  look  of  unbelief. 
105 


The   Outcasts 


"  A  lie,"  quoth  A'tim  ;  "  the  Cow  is 
full  of  a  stupid  duplicity :  perhaps  she 
even  killed  this  Herd  Leader  by  some 
trick,  and  blames  it  on  the  innocent 
Fur  Flower.  Does  it  look  like  a  poi 
son  herb,  Wise  Bull  ?  Is  it  like  the 
scraggy  Loco  Plant  of  the  South  Ranges? 
Has  it  not  the  beautiful  blossom  of  a 
good  herb  ?  Would  Wie-sah-ke-chack, 
who  is  wise,  put  such  a  tempting  coat 
on  a  death  plant?" 

Shag  looked  puzzled.  Why  should 
A'tim  wish  him  to  eat  of  a  Death 
Flower  ;  and  yet,  there  was  the  graze  of 
the  Wolfs  fang  on  his  thigh  that  time 
they  came  up  out  of  La  Biche  River. 
That  surely  had  the  full  flavor  of  treach 
ery  about  it.  His  ponderous  mind 
worked  slowly  over  the  tortuous  puzzle. 

"  I    am    a    stranger  here,"   he    said, 
"  and   know  little  of  these   herbs,   but 
106 


The   Outcasts 


this  Dog- Wolf,  who  is  also  an  Outcast 
like  myself,  has  trailed  from  the  South 
land  with  me,  and  we  have  been  even 
as  Brothers.  Thinking  perhaps  that  my 
rough  coat  was  not  so  fine  as  it  once 
was,  I  listened  to  the  speech  of  this 
Dog-Wolf  to  the  end  that  this  blue- 
flowered  herb  will  cause  the  soft,  beau 
tiful  hair  to  grow  again." 

"  It  is  the  Death  Flower/'  declared 
the  Cow  with  sententious  persistence  ; 
"  and  this  Outcast  Wolf  is  a  traitor,  for 
if  he  is  from  the  Northland  he  also 
knows  that,  even  as  in  the  Southland 
they  know  the  Loco  Plant." 

A'tim  slunk  back  nervously  and 
watched  Shag  with  wary  caution. 

"  Do  you  believe  this  lie,  Shag,    my 

dear    Friend  ?      Ghur-r-r-ah  !     do    you 

think  I  would  do  such  a  thing  ?     This 

lone  Cow,  who  is  also  an  Outcast  be- 

107 


The  Outcasts 


cause  of  some  wrong  thing,  must  be 
locoed  (mad) — even  as  every  Herd  has 
one  such." 

"  I  am  wise  enough  not  to  eat  of  the 
Death  Flower,  by  the  knowledge  of  our 
kind.  But  you  can  prove  all  this,  Herd 
Leader— let  the  Dog- Wolf  eat  of  this 
medicine  plant,  if  it  be  harmless." 

This  clever  idea  pleased  the  Bull 
mightily.  "Yes,  A'tim,"  he  cried; 
"  the  Cow,  who  is  but  a  Buffalo,  and,  of 
course,  has  not  the  great  Wolf  wisdom, 
may  be  mistaken.  You  who  are  an 
eater  of  grasses  when  you  are  ill,  eat  of 
this  Fur  Flower,  as  you  name  it;  then 
also  I  will  eat  in  great  faith — after  a 
little,"  he  added  in  an  undertone. 

A'tim  walked  backward  a  few  paces 

hesitatingly,  and,  looking  wondrous  hurt, 

said  in  a  deprecating  voice :  "  Ghur-r-rh, 

eu-h-h !      I  have  been  a  friend  to  you, 

108 


The   Outcasts 


Lone  Bull,  even  a  Brother  in  solitude ; 
and  now  at  the  word  of  a  stranger,  a 
silly  Cow,  who  having  done  some  wrong 
has  been  outcasted  from  her  Herd,  you 
lose  faith  in  me,  and  treat  me  as  a  trai 
tor." 

Still  farther  into  the  tangle  of  birch 
and  poplar  he  backed,  saying :  "  Of 
course,  I  couldn't  expect  you  to  take 
my  part  against  a  sleek-hided  Buffalo 
Cow." 

With  a  sudden  spring  he  turned,  and 
barked  derisively  as  he  loped  through 
the  forest :  "  Good-by,  bald-hided  old 
Bull ;  I  will  bring  harm  to  you  because 
of  this." 

"  I  think  you  were  just  in  time,"  said 
Shag  to  the  Cow ;  "  that  Dog- Wolf 
meant  my  death." 

Then  Shag  learned  from  the  Buffalo 
Cow  that  she  was  one  of  a  Herd  of  six, 
109 


The   Outcasts 


and  that  the  Herd  was  not  very  far 
away  ;  that  they  were  unguarded  be 
cause  of  the  loss  of  their  Leader  through 
the  Death  Flower,  even  as  she  had  said. 
Willingly  Shag  went  with  her,  making 
many  protestations  as  to  his  disreputable 
appearance,  and  the  unfitness  of  his  well- 
worn  stub-horns  to  battle  for  them ;  but 
he  went. 


CHAPTER  SIX     j 


A  TIM  slunk  through  the  forest, 
his  lean  body  filled  with  noth 
ing  but  the  rage  of  disappointed 
appetite.  "  I'm  starving  !"  he  gasped; 
"  Starving !  I  must  have  something  to 
eat.  By  the  feast  that  is  in  a  dead 
Buffalo!  if  that  evil-minded  Cow  had 
also  eaten  of  the  Death  Flower  when 
her  Bull  did,  as  she  says,  I  should  now 
be  closer  friend  than  ever  with  old 
Shag — Shag,  the  Fool/* 

A  large  dead  cottonwood,  rotted  to 

the  heart  till  its  flesh  was  like  red  earth 

mould,  lay  across  his  path  like  an  un- 

buried    Redskin.       "Should    be    Grub 

in 


The   Outcasts 


Worms  here/*  muttered  A'tim,  snif 
fing  at  the  moss  shroud  which  clothed 
the  tree  corpse.  In  famine  haste  he 
tore  with  strong  claws  at  the  crumb 
ling  mass.  One,  two,  three  large 
Grubs,  full  of  a  white  fat,  twisted  and 
squirmed  at  their  rude  awakening;  the 
Dog -Wolf  swallowed  them  greedily. 
"  Eu-h-h  !  Hi,  yi !  Such  a  tiny  mor 
sel,"  he  whined  plaintively;  "they  but 
give  life  to  the  famine  pains  which 
were  all  but  dead  through  starvation. 
Wait,  you,  fool  Bull — I'll  crack  your 
ribs  with  my  strong  teeth  yet !  But 
small  as  the  Grubs  are  there  should 
be  more." 

With  swift  diligence  A'tim  exca 
vated,  grumblingly,  until  his  gaunt  form 
was  half  buried  in  the  hole. 

Three  Gray  Shadows  were  creeping 
in  stealthy  silence  upon  his  flank ;  owing 

112 


The   Outcasts 


to  his  anxious  work  A'tim  was  oblivious 
to  the  approaching  trouble. 

"  E-e-yah !  "  and  quick  as  a  slipping 
sound  that  fluttered  his  ear  A'tim  was 
up  on  the  dead  cottonwood,  only  to  find 
himself  peering  into  the  lurid  eyes  of  a 
huge  Wolf. 

Like  war  stars,  four  other  balls  of  light 
gleamed  at  him  from  a  close  crescent. 
The  Outcast  was  clever.  Surely  this 
was  a  case  for  diplomacy;  he  had  no 
desire  to  feed  three  hungry  Wolves  with 
his  thin  carcass. 

"  You  startled  me,  Brothers,"  he  said, 
grinning  nervously. 

"  I  did  not  mean  to/'  replied  the  Pack 
Leader ;  "  my  foot  slipped  on  a  wet 
leaf/' 

"  Ye-e-s — just  so/'  hesitated  A'tim  in 
deprecating  voice  ;  "  so  fortunate — I 
mean — Brothers,  I'm  sorry  I  can't  offer 
113 


The   Outcasts 


you  good  eating — there  were  only  three 
Grubs " 

"Oh,  don't  mention  it!  "  exclaimed 
the  Wolf;  "no  doubt  we  shall  find 
something  for  dinner  presently — don't 
you  think  so,  children  ?"  he  asked,  turn 
ing  to  the  others. 

"  I  was  going  to  say,"  recommenced 
the  Outcast,  "  that  I  could  not  ask  you 
to  eat  just  here,  but  I  was  actually 
on  my  way  to  invite  you  to  a  big  feed- 
ing." 

The  Timber  Wolf  bared  his  fangs  in 
a  grin  of  derisive  unbelief.  His  com 
rades  blinked  at  one  another  solemnly. 
"Was  there  ever  such  a  liar?" 

A'tim  coughed  nervously  and  con 
tinued  his  politic  address.  "  I  heard  your 
powerful  bay,  Pack  Leader,  hours  ago, 
as  I  was  attending  to  a  little  trailing 
matter  I  had  on  hand,  and  resolved  to 
114 


g  § 

s  z 

w 

..N  W 

UH  — 

-  ad 

O  CH 

^  ^ 

w  2 

?  I 


The   Outcasts 


invite  you  to  the  Kill  when  I  had  located 
the  trailed  one/' 

"  That's  good  news/'  answered  the 
Wolf,  "  for  we  are  wondrous  hungry," 
and  he  edged  closer  to  the  Outcast. 

A'tim  shrank  into  a  very  small  parcel 
on  the  log.  "  I,  too,  have  been  sick  for 
the  need  of  food.  I  have  starved,  actually 
starved,  for  a  moon  ;  why,  I  am  nothing 
but  skin  and  bone ;  the  smallest  creat 
ure,  even  a  weasel,  would  find  it  diffi 
cult  to  fill  his  stomach  from  my  lean 
ribs.  Besides,  I  have  eaten  off  a  plague- 
stricken  Rabbit  but  a  day  since,  and 
my  blood  is  on  fire — though  there's  not 
much  of  it,  to  be  sure.  I'm  filled  with 
the  accursed  plague  poison — I  believe 
there's  enough  of  it  in  my  poor,  thin 
body  to  bring  to  their  death  a  whole 
Wolf  Pack." 

"  That's  serious ! "  exclaimed  the  Gray 


The   Outcasts 


Wolf;  "but  you'd  die  anyway,  so  it 
doesn't  matter — I  mean,  never  mind 
about  that  just  now.  Gh-u-r-r-h !  what 
of  this  great  kill?" 

"  Well,  Brother  Wolves-    -" 

"Brother  Wolves?"  questioned  the 
other  with  a  sneer-tinge  in  his  gruff 
voice;  "thou  art  overthick  in  the 
shoulder  for  a  Wolf." 

"I  never  saw  ears  like  yours  on  a 
Wolf,  Newcomer,"  said  one  of  the 
youngsters;  "they  are  short  and  round 
like  those  of  the  Huskie  Dog  we  ate. 
Is  not  that  so?"  he  asked,  turning  to  the 
Leader. 

"  Yes,  indeed ;  we  ate  him,  I'm 
ashamed  to  say — for  Dog  meat  is  horri 
ble — but  what  is  one  to  do  when  there's 
naught  else  in  the  Boundaries?" 

A'tim  shuddered;  their  merciless  eyes 
gleamed  with  the  ferocity  of  famine. 
116 


The   Outcasts 


Neither  his  strength  nor  his  speed, 
which  had  so  often  stood  him  in  good 
stead,  would  avail  him  this  time ;  noth 
ing  but  his  half-breed  duplicity — Wolf 
cunning  and  Dog  wisdom. 

"But  I  am  a  Wolf/'  he  reiterated; 
"  else  why  should  I  seek  your  company 
at  my  Kill?" 

"  We  were  easily  found,"  sneered  the 
Wolf;  "we  did  not  take  much  calling, 
did  we  ?  Knowing  your  desire  for  our 
fellowship,  we  kept  you  not  waiting — 
E-a-ah,  Lone  Dog?  But  where  hunts 
the  Pack  that  carry  their  tails  curled 
over  their  backs  like  Train  Dogs  ? " 

"It's  because  of  my  nervousness — 
you  startled  me,"  pleaded  A'tim  ;  "  also 
my  seat  is  narrow." 

"And  the  big,  round  feet,  Lone  Dog? 
They  leave    not  a  Wolf  track.     And 
you're  broad  in  the  loin,  and  heavy  in 
117 


The   Outcasts 


the  jowl,  and  short  in  the  leg — a  Dog, 
a  Hermit  Dog,  by  the  knowledge  that 
has  come  to  me  of  age." 

"  I'm  a  Wolf  from  the  Southland," 
maintained  A'tim.  "  We  shape  differ 
ent  there.  Our  meat  is  the  flesh  of 
Buffalo,  and  our  Kill  is  because  of 
strength,  and  not  speed — therefore  we 
are  of  a  strong  build.  You  are  of  the 
Northland ;  swift  as  the  wind,  and  long 
running,  Great  Wolf — you  and  your 
beautiful  Sons — yet  was  I  eager  for  your 
company  at  this  Kill,  which  has  taken 
me  days  to  arrange." 

"  Buh-h,  buh-ha !  his  great  Kill !  and 
here  is  the  killer  slaying  fierce,  white 
Wood  Grubs — but  never  mind;  what 
of  the  Kill,  Lone  Dog?" 

"What  say  you  to  a  Buffalo — a  fat, 
young  Bull?"  asked  A'tim,  heaving  a 
sigh  of  relief;   "would    not  that  be  a 
118 


The   Outcasts 


dinner  fit  for  a  great  Pack  Leader,  like 
yourself?" 

"A  Buffalo?"  queried  the  Wolf  in 
credulously.  "  I  have  heard  of  such  in 
these  forests,  but  I  come  from  the  North, 
and  have  never  seen  them — have  we, 
Sons?" 

"Never,"  they  answered,  closing  in 
on  A'tim. 

"  Even  to-day  I  trailed  one,  and  was 
on  my  way  to  ask  you  to  the  Kill,  as  is 
the  way  of  the  Wolf  kind.  I  am  no 
Dog,  to  kill  and  eat  in  secret." 

"  It's  truly  noble  to  feed  your 
friends,"  declared  the  Wolf.  He  snap 
ped  viciously  at  A'tim's  throat  with 
fang-lined  jaws.  The  Dog- Wolf  jumped 
back  nervously. 

"Wait,  Brothers,"  he  pleaded ;  "you 
do  not  believe  me,  I  see — let  us  go  to 
gether,  and  if  I  do  not  show  you  this 
119 


The   Outcasts 


Buffalo,  waiting  for  the  Kill,  then — " 

"Yes,  then — "  sneered  the  Wolf; 
"if  you  fail  to  show  us  this  Buffalo, 
then — "  He  grinned  diabolically  in 
A'tim's  face. 

"  E-e-u-h,  I  know/'  exclaimed  the 
Dog-Wolf,  stepping  down  gingerly 
from  the  log.  "  You  may  keep  close ; 
I  will  show  you  that  I  have  spoken  no 
lie." 

Together,  one  Wolf  on  either  side 
of  A'tim  and  one  behind,  they  glided 
along  his  back  trail  till  they  came  to 
the  scene  of  his  caustic  farewell  to 
Shag.  Suddenly  the  Pack  Leader 
stopped,  buried  his  nose  in  a  hoof  hole 
and  sniffed  with  discriminating  intent- 
ness. 

"  If-if-if-fh-h  !  By  my  scent,  'tis  not 
Mooswa — nor  Caribou.  What  say  you, 
sons?  Perhaps  it  is  the  Buffalo  of  which 
1 20 


The   Outcasts 


the  Lone  Dog  speaks.  Phew-yi,  hi  ! 
Another  trail  call.  Here  are  two  of 
these  big-footed  creatures,  be  they  Buf 
falo,  or  what — you  spoke  of  but  one, 
Lone  Dog;  Wolves  do  not  tackle  a 
Herd." 

"  Only  a  silly  Cow,"  answered  A'tim. 
"She  will  flee  at  the  first  blood  cry." 

The  big  Wolf  softened  a  trifle. 
Surely  here  was  prospect  of  a  mighty 
Kill.  There  would  be  much  flesh  feed 
ing  and  blood  drinking  till  they  were 
gorged.  And  the  Lone  Dog  would 
keep.  When  the  Buffalo  were  eaten, 
then —  He  look  grimly  at  A'tim's  at 
tenuated  form.  "Not  much  to  tempt 
one  after  the  sweet  meat  of  a  Grass 
Feeder,"  he  muttered  disconsolately. 
"  How  shall  we  make  the  Kill,  Lone 
Dog  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  When  we  have  trailed  them  down 

121 


The   Outcasts 


watch  till  they  feed  apart  and  stampede 
the  Cow  with  a  fierce  rush  full  of  much 
cry  ;  then  all  on  the  Bull — two  in  front, 
to  put  them  at  bay,  and  two  behind 
with  sharp  teeth  for  the  hamstring. 
That  will  lay  him  helpless  as  a  new 
Calf." 

"Thou  art  a  Leader  of  Sorts,  Lone 
Dog;  but  why  not  the  Cow  first?  It's 
an  easier  task,  and  better  eating." 

"  Ah,  my  Brothers,  I  see  you  have 
never  run  the  Kings  of  the  Prairie. 
While  you  were  busy  with  the  Cow, 
what  think  you  the  Bull  would  be  do 
ing — brushing  his  mane  with  a  wet 
tongue  ?  His  strong  horns,  stronger 
than  Wolf  tusks,  would  be  ripping  your 
ribs,  and  the  weight  of  his  huge  fore 
head  would  be  breaking  your  backs — 
flat  as  a  fallen  leaf  he  would  crush  you. 
No,  no ;  by  my  knowledge  of  these 

122 


The   Outcasts 


things,  first  the  Bull — after,  the  Cow 
will  be  easy.'' 

All  this  logic,  sound  though  it 
seemed,  was  born  of  A'tim's  desire  for 
revenge  upon  old  Shag  for  refusing  to 
be  murdered. 

"  Well,  it  is  your  Run  and  your  Kill, 
and  to  the  Trailer  the  say  of  the  Kill  is 
our  Law,"  answered  the  Wolf;  "lead  us 
to  the  eating,  and  make  haste  lest  we 
get  too  hungry." 

But  A'tim  had  started  ere  the  Wolf 
had  finished  his  implied  threat.  Nose 
to  ground,  and  tail  almost  as  straight 
as  a  true  Wolfs,  he  raced  through  the 
ghost  forms  of  silent  poplars,  sheared 
by  the  autumn  winds  of  their  gold-leaf 
mantle.  Over  wooded  upland,  and 
through  lowland  cradling  the  treacher 
ous  muskeg,  spruce-shielded  and  moss- 
bedded,  he  followed  the  trail  of  old 
123 


The   Outcasts 


Shag  and  his  Cow  mate.  Ever  at  his 
flank,  one  on  either  side,  sped  the  young 
Wolves,  and,  lapping  their  quarters, 
loped  in  easy  stride  their  giant  Sire.  In 
the  Dog-Wolfs  heart  were  revenge  and 
the  prospect  of  much  eating,  and  the 
diplomacy  that  was  to  save  his  life. 

"  This  strange  Run  is  surely  from  the 
hand  of  Wie-sah-ke-chack,"  muttered 
the  Pack  Leader;  "and  of  the  end  I 
have  no  knowledge,  but,  by  the  mem 
ory  of  my  long  fast,  there  will  be  food 
at  the  end  of  it  for  me  and  the  Pups." 

Through  a  black  cemetery  of  fire- 
killed  trees,  the  charred  limbs  cracking 
harshly  under  their  eager  feet,  they 
swept.  Suddenly  the  trail  kinked 
sharply  to  the  right,  and  the  Dog- Wolf, 
swift-rushing,  overshot  it.  "  E-u-h  !  at 
fault,"  he  muttered.  "Some  trick  of 
the  fool  Cow's."  Back  and  forth,  back 
124 


The   Outcasts 


and  forth  like  Setters  the  four  Killers 
scurried. 

"H-o-o-oh!  here  away!"  cried 
A'tirn,  picking  it  up ;  and  on  again 
galloped  the  Gray  Hunters. 

At  Towatano  Creek  the  trail  went 
into  the  air;  at  least  it  was  no  longer 
of  the  earth.  Straight  to  the  south 
bank  it  had  led,  but  on  the  north  there 
was  nothing  ;  nothing  but  the  hoot  of 
a  frightened  Arctic  Owl  that  swirled  off 
into  the  forest  because  of  their  impetu 
ous  blood  cry. 

"They  are  not  wet  to  their  death," 
cried  the  Wolf,  "for  here  is  little 
water." 

It  was  as  though  the  Bisons  had 
crawled  into  a  cave,  only  there  was  no 
burrow  in  sight — nothing.  A'tim  was 
confused. 

"Surely  thou  art  a  Dog,"  cried  the 
125 


The  Outcasts 


Wolf  disdainfully ;  "  they  have  gone  up 
the  water,  or  they  have  gone  down  the 
water.  This  is  no  young  Bull  we  fol 
low,  for  he  has  the  wisdom  which  comes 
with  age;  that,  or  this  Cow  has  the 
duplicity  of  a  Mother  guarding  her 
Calf." 

"I  will  search  up,  and  do  you  seek 
down,"  said  A'tim. 

"Not  so,"  replied  the  Wolf;  "we 
will  stay  here  together  while  my  Pups 
pick  up  the  trail,  be  it  up  or  down." 

Very  close  to  A'tim  the  huge  Wolf 
sat  while  his  two  Sons  searched  the  op 
posite  bank  for  the  coming  out  of  Shag. 
Soon  a  "  Hi,  yi — he,  he,  he-voh-ooh  !  " 
came  floating  dismally  up  the  tortuous 
stretch  of  winding  stream.  "Come; 
they  have  found  it,"  said  the  Wolf. 

On  again,  faster  and  faster,  flitted  the 
Gray  Shadows  in  the  waning  of  the  day. 
126 


The   Outcasts 


All  vain  had  been  the  precautions  of  the 
Cow;  the  twisting  and  doubling,  and 
walking  in  the  water  to  kill  the  scent — 
all  in  vain.  Nothing  would  turn  these 
blood-thirsters  from  the  trail. 

"  Hurry  a  little/'  panted  the  Wolf 
from  behind.  "Gallop,  Lone  Dog; 
gallop,  brave  Pups ;  the  scent  grows 
strong,  and  we  need  light  for  our 
work." 

A'tim  stretched  his  thin  limbs  in 
eager  chase;  at  his  shoulder  now  raced 
the  Wolf  Pups  ;  the  blood  fever  crept 
stronger  and  stronger  into  the  hot  hearts 
of  the  Gray  Runners.  Short  yelps  of 
hungry  exultation  broke  from  their  dry 
throats;  it  was  like  the  tolling  of  a 
death  bell ;  first  one  and  then  the  other, 
"  Oo-oo-ooh-ooh  !  "  The  dry  leaves 
scurried  under  their  feet,  swirled  up  by 
the  wind  from  their  rushing  bodies. 
127 


The  Outcasts 


Poplar  bluff,  and  jack-pine  knoll, 
and  spruce  thicket,  and  open  patch  of 
rosebush-matted  plain  flitted  by  like  the 
tide  of  a  landscape  through  which  an 
express  speeds. 

Why  had  this  silly  Cow  and  effete 
old  Bull  traveled  so  far?  A'tim  won 
dered.  Would  they  never  overtake 
them  ? 

Suddenly  a  vibrating  bellow  echoed 
through  the  forest  and  halted  the  Wolf 
Runners. 

"It's  the  Bull!"  cried  A'tim 
triumphantly.  "  Now,  Brothers,  we 
shall  feast.  Have  I  not  spoken  the 
truth?" 

On  again  sped  the  four  Killers — the 
four  that  were  eager  of  blood;  on 
through  the  thicket,  and  with  sudden 
ness  out  upon  a  plain  that  had  been 
fire-swept  years  before — a  plain  wide, 
128 


The   Outcasts 


and  void  of  poplar,  or  spruce,  or  cotton- 
wood.  Only  the  grass  plain,  and  on 
the  plain  seven  Buffalo;  a  waiting  cres 
cent  of  seven  huge  heads  lined  in  sym 
metrical  defense;  a  little  in  front  old 
Shag,  and  behind,  shoulder  to  shoulder, 
the  others.  With  a  cry  of  dismay, 
A'tim  stopped. 

"  A  trick — a  trap  !  "  yelped  the  Wolf. 

"I  did  not  know  of  these,"  whined 
A'tim ;  "  but  it  is  nothing.  If  we 
charge  boldly  they  will  stampede." 
"  They  will  fight,"  answered  the  Wolf. 
"  No  charge  will  break  a  Wolf  Pack, 
and  it  will  be  that  way  with  these,  I 
think." 

"The  Buffalo  are  different."  lied 
A'tim.  He  knew  better,  but  it  was  his 
only  hope.  Well  he  knew  that  if  there 
were  no  attack  his  New  Comrades  would 
surely  eat  him.  In  the  battle  many 
129 


The   Outcasts 


things  might  come  to  pass,  his  Dog  wis 
dom  said ;  the  Wolves  might  be  killed, 
or  prodded  full  of  a  sufficiency  of  fight; 
the  Buffalo  might  stampede,  being  new 
to  Shag's  leadership  ;  or,  when  the  com 
bat  was  heavy,  he  could  steal  away  if  he 
saw  it  going  against  them.  Also  his  de 
sire  for  revenge  on  Shag  was  a  potent 
factor. 

"  They  will  surely  break  if  we  charge 
with  strength,"  he  declared:  "they are 
Cows,  having  no  Calves  to  guard,  and 
each  will  think  only  of  her  own  safety 
when  she  hears  your  fierce  cry,  Pack 
Leader.  I,  who  have  lived  upon  Buffalo 
in  the  South,  know  this.  Why  should 
I  say  this,  being  also  in  the  fight,  if  it 
were  not  true.  Come,  Brothers,  even 
now  they  are  afraid." 

The  Buffalo  Cows  were  stamping  the 
young-turfed  prairie  with  nervous  feet. 
130 


The  Outcasts 


Shag  was  throwing  clouds  of  dust  over 
his  lowered  head,  and  kinking  his 
tufted  tail  in  battle  anger. 

"Yes, he  will  fight,"  declared  A'tim, 
as  Shag  snorted  and  shook  his  head  de 
fiantly  ;  "  he  will  fight,  but  that  will 
save  much  running,  for  we  shall  soon 
bring  him  down/' 

The  Wolf  Leader  weighed  the  mat 
ter  with  a  gravity  born  of  his  long  fast. 
Certainly  it  appeared  worth  a  battle. 
If  they  could  but  make  one  Kill,  what 
a  feast  it  would  be  !  Never  had  he  seen 
Grass  Feeders  of  this  bulk.  Why 
should  he  and  his  Sons,  who  were 
strong  fighters,  full  of  the  Wolf  cun 
ning,  dread  these  Buffalo  who  had 
nothing  but  horns  for  defense !  No 
fear  of  the  fierce-cutting  hoof  thrust, 
such  as  Mooswa  gave !  And  he  was 
hungry.  He  looked  at  the  Dog- Wolf 


The  Outcasts 


with  the  eye  of  an  epicure ;  what  misera 
ble  eating  his  thin  carcass  would  make. 
Much  better  this  fight  for  a  Buffalo. 

"We  will  charge,"  he  said.  "All 
at  the  Bull!" 

With  short,  gasping  yelps  the  three 
Wolves  and  the  Mongrel  dashed  at  the 
Herd.  The  crescent  of  horned  heads 
swayed  a  little  irresolutely  ;  but  Shag, 
wise  old  Leader,  Leader  of  mighty 
Herds,  Patrician  of  a  thousand  kine, 
who  had  stood  against  the  fierce  bliz 
zard,  and  the  Foothill  Wolves  that 
came  down  in  mighty  Packs  seeking 
the  calves  that  were  in  his  charge, — he 
who  had  fought  the  young  Bulls  grow 
ing  into  their  strength,  and  kept  them 
in  subjection  until  his  horns  were  worn 
to  stubs  and  of  no  avail ;  whose  heart, 
once  aroused,  was  strong,  and  knew  not 
of  defeat  until  it  came:  this  dauntless 
132 


The   Outcasts 


Monarch  of  the  plain  stood  firm.  What 
were  four  Wolves  to  him  !  Let  them 
come. 

"  This  is  a  Leader  !  '  said  the  six 
Cows.  "Surely  here  is  no  danger." 

"  No  danger,"  repeated  Shag,  hearing 
their  voices;  "stand  close  and  there  is 
no  danger." 

"  Oo-oo-oo-ah,  wah,  wah,  wah  !  " 
howled  the  Wolves  and  barked  the 
Dog- Wolf,  as  almost  to  the  stockade 
of  heavy  heads  they  rushed. 

"Circle,  Brothers,  circle,"  called  the 
big  Wolf,  as  he  swerved  to  the  right, 
seeking  to  turn  the  flank  of  the  Cow 
line.  Like  trained  soldiers  the  Buffalo 
crescent  swung  as  the  Wolves  swung, 
Shag  always  a  little  in  front.  With  an 
angry  snarl  the  Leader  dashed  at  the 
Buffalo;  his  two  Sons  were  at  his 
shoulder. 

'33 


The   Outcasts 


"The  Bull!  the  Bull!"  yelped 
A'tim,  crouching  to  steal  under  the  giant 
head,  and  lay  him  by  the  flank. 

Famine-braved,  the  Wolves  fought 
and  snapped,  and  snarled  the  Kill  cry. 
Crazed  beyond  cowardice  by  the  smell 
of  their  own  blood,  the  Cows  fenced 
and  thrust,  and  stood  one  against  the 
other — the  sharp  horns  ripped  like  skin- 
ning-knives . 

"Ee-e-yah!  if  I  could  but  do  it!" 
snarled  the  great  Wolf.  Ah !  he  had 
her — by  the  nose !  Down  to  her 
knees,  dragged  by  the  Wolf,  came  the 
Cow  that  had  turned  Shag  from  the 
Death  Flower. 

"  Yah,  yah,  yah  !  "  snarled  the  Wolf 
joyously  through  his  set  teeth,  as  the 
Cow  bellowed  loud  in  her  agony  of 
terror. 

Then  something  like  the  falling  of  a 

134 


The   Outcasts 


great  forest  was  heard,  and  the  Buffalo 
Bull  descended  upon  the  Big  Wolf  and 
blotted  him  out  from  the  light  of  the 
world.  It  was  not  a  question  of  horns 
at  all ;  it  was  simply  a  great  weight 
like  an  avalanche  of  rock  crushing  him 
into  the  herbed  plain.  His  grim  jaws 
relaxed  their  hold  ;  from  ears  and  nos 
trils  flowed  his  mighty  strength  in  a  red 
stream. 

Even  as  Shag  charged  the  Wolf, 
A'tim  had  reached  for  the  Cow's  flank  ! 
Ah !  here  was  his  chance.  The  Bull's 
fat  throat  beckoned  to  him  from  within 
easy  reach.  Wah,  for  his  revenge ! 
E-e-uh,  for  the  throat  grip — the  throat- 
cutting  hold  ! 

Eagerly,  wide-jawed  he  sprang  at  the 
Brother  Outcast — and  missed. 

The  carnage  had  sent  Shag's  life 
back  a  score  of  years  ;  the  battle  heat 


The   Outcasts 


warmed  his  old  blood  until  it  coursed 
with  the  fire  of  fighting  youth;  he 
was  a  young  Bull  again,  full  of  the 
glorious  supple  strength  that  had  been 
his  as  chief  gladiator  of  all  the  prairie 
arena  :  that  was  why  A'tim  fell  short 
as  he  reached  for  the  death  hold. 

With  a  deft  twist  Shag  had  the  Dog- 
Wolf  pinned  to  the  earth  between  the 
worn  old  horns. 

"  Now,  traitor,"  he  grunted. 

"Spare  me/'  pleaded  A'tim;  "I, 
who  am  not  of  your  kind,  slept  by  your 
side,  and  guided  you  to  this  land  where 
you  have  a  Herd.  I  was  forced  to  this 
by  the  Wolves — they  threatened  to  eat 
me.  Spare  me,  Great  Bull;  I  came  to 
warn  you,  but  the  Wolves  followed  fast/' 

Shag  hesitated.  One  crunch  from  his 
broad  forehead,  one  little  push — so,  and 
the  Dog-Wolf,  who  was  A'tim,  would — 

136 


The   Outcasts 


"Spare  me,  Shag — let  me  go," 
pleaded  the  mongrel  again  ;  "  I  brought 
you  to  this  Herd — to  this  Northland 
which  is  good.  Were  we  not  Outcast 
Brothers  together  ? " 

Again  Shag  hesitated.  Why  not? 
Was  he  not  a  Buffalo  Bull,  a  Leader  of 
Herds  ?  Did  his  kind  ever  do  aught 
for  revenge — kill  except  in  defense  of 
their  own  lives  ?  And  was  not  this 
Dog-Wolf  lying  helpless  between  his 
horns  beyond  all  chance  of  doing  him 
injury — this  Mongrel  that  had  been  as 
a  Brother  to  him  when  they  were  Out 
casts  ?  Also  the  Wolves  were  dead — 
trampled  into  silence. 

"  Thou  art  a  traitor,  and  a  great  liar, 
A'tim,"  said  the  Bull,  rising,  "but  you 
may  go  because  you  are  an  Outcast,  and 
because  I  also  was  one." 

And  that    was  the  beginning  of  the 
137 


The   Outcasts 


Herd  of  the  Wood  Buffalo,  that  are  big 
and  strong  and  beautiful,  in  the  spruce 
forests  of  the  Athabasca  Lake. 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 
LOAN  DEPT. 


This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  dat<2  to  which  renewed. 
Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


2Je'58WJ 


General  Library 

University  of  California 

Berkeley 


LD  21A-50m-8,'57 
(C8481slO)47p 


